Eternity is Forever
by UniGirl
Summary: Nothing lasts forever. Not friendship, not bit beasts, not even loyalty. Kai's left the team, and things have gone downhill for the "World Champions." Ray's always said that he never let the team down. Will he break through for them one last time?
1. Character Bios

This is the prologue of my first fic. So be nice ^__________^ Here I am going to put bios of all my OC's 

Team: Celestials

Wing

Nationality: Russian

Position: Team Leader

Hair: Loose and just hanging down. It's blue with white streaks or the other way around

Colour eyes: Who knows?  
Clothes: White shirt with a ripple design. Very loose dark navy blue pants. They're so loose you could mistake them for a dress.

Accessories: Silver chain with blue white jewel. Blue sunglasses. Black gloves

Age: 16

Likes: Blading? That's all she ever does.

Dislikes: people that waste her time and Aqua's attitude

Blade: White. How else to describe a blade.

Bit Beast: Does she even have one?

Personality: Very hard on team mates, hates it when people lose, very very harsh

History: Flame's sister. 

Storm

Nationality: Russian

Hair: Roan. It's spiked up and has bangs hanging

Colour eyes: Who knows?

Clothes: Black coat over shirt and green pants.

Accessories: Sunglasses [you saw that coming] black and silver chain around neck, obviously holding a jewel seeing that the rest of the team's got them. Green gloves

Age: 18

Likes: Spying on people? Watching beybattles, beyblading, He also, secretly, has a crush on Aqua.

Dislikes: people in general, 

Blade: Brown with occasional traces of green at the edges

Bit Beast: Um…

Personality: Very quiet, observant. 

History: something happened in his past which involved Aqua so they're like kind of close. [hint: he's got a grudge against the Demolition Boys]

Flame

Nationality: Russian

Colour hair: Red at tips though it is blue in the roots. It's also spiked up.

Colour eyes: Just guess

Clothes: Sleeveless navy blue vest, long pants.

Accessories: The usual sunglasses, red jewel with silver chain, blue gloves

Age: 18 [funny how the captain is the youngest]

Likes: Finishing battles quickly, taunting Aqua.

Dislikes: very annoying people. Like Aqua

Blade: blue and red

Bit Beast: Is there even one?

Personality: To everyone other than the Celestials, he's cold, rude, harsh, and good at glaring. To the Celestials, he's surprisingly talkative and even cracks a joke once in a while.

History: Wing's brother. His relationships with a certain resigned member of the Bladebreakers [hint hint Kai fans] is unknown.

Aqua

Nationality: Russian

Colour hair: Navy blue

Colour eyes: Don't you already know?

Clothes: red tank top, blue coat, black jeans.

Accessories: Sunglasses, blue jewel with, you guessed it, silver chain, blue gloves

Age: 16

Likes: teasing Wing, Has a crush on Storm

Dislikes: Storm trying to help her, Wing's consequences.

Blade: Blue

Bit Beast: you figure if I'm going to tell you

Personality: the most talkative and carefree of the Celestials, though she doesn't really talk too much. But lots compared to her cousins.

History: Wing and Flame's cousin. She's also got a brother which is not a Celestial and Wing doesn't consider him part of her family. [and if you really think I'm going to tell you who he is, dream on.]

The Celestials are a group of people who think they 

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Lin

Team: Bladebreakers

Nationality: Chinese

Colour Hair: black

Colour Eyes: Brown.

Clothes: Her shirt is white and her pants violet. She has a belt between them and her shirt is sleeveless.

Accessories: Lace tying her bun together. It's pretty long. Gloves. 

Age: 17

Likes: blading and has a crush on Ray

Dislikes: Mariah, Salima, everyone who has a crush on Ray [A/N that means she dislikes me.]

Blade: white with a bit of purple

Bit Beast: Drolcyan, a dove. 

Personality: much like Ray but she is a bit more of a loner.

 History: one of the girls back in Ray's old village, poor insignificant family.

Britt [belongs to Britt]

Team: Psychics 

Nationality: American

Colour Hair: Brown with highlights

Colour eyes: Light blue
    
    Clothes: Black jeans, with a Red tank top and sometimes a red hoodie if 
    
    she's cold.

Accessories: Pink Gloves 

Age: 16 [same as Max but younger by a few months]

Likes: Kane, 

Dislikes: when someone insults her team or friends

Blade: Red and black

Bit Beast: Doglefox, Fox like bit beast

Personality: much like Ray, very shy.

History: Orphaned, Raised by Judy with Max, her cousin, looked up to Max in the past but doesn't anymore and Max doesn't know why.

Tomas [Belongs to Nessi]

Team: Demolition Boys

Nationality: Russian

Colour hair: short and silver hair.

Eyes: light blue

Clothes: black jeans, white shirt, and black coat

Accessories: Black gloves

Age: 17 or 18 

Likes: Torturing his opponents?

Dislikes: Kai. 

Blade: Black

Bit Beast: Not telling yet

Personality: Rude, Cold, your average typical Demolition Boy. Except he's not that bad once you get to know him. Only no one knows him

History: He got trained in BioVolt. 

Guardians: [this is not a blading team.]

Eltila [pronounced El-tee-luh]

Colour hair: white

Colour eyes: blue

Age: Older than you

Clothes: 

            Normal: Long light blue dress with a silver belt. If you look closely, you may see a skin coloured jewel and her sleeves are way too long for her. 

            Battle costume: Eltila wears nothing on her head, her hair is pulled out of her face by two clips, but the back still is loose. On her elbows are plates with blades on the back, so she can jab people. She wears a black tank top that cuts off at her stomach, and she has a short skirt with a bit of armour at the hips. Her boots are long with blades on the back of them.

Accessories: She usually has nothing on her at first sight, but she hides weapons. She always carries her sword around underneath her dress. It's very thin but sharp. She's not the best fencer but pretty good. During battle, she is an archer. Her bow is very light but sturdy.

Likes: keeping quiet, 

Dislikes: traitors. 

Personality: She is very loyal to her side. She only tells the truth, but is an expert at hiding it. 

Blade: …

Bit Beast:…

Element: Air

Kariey [Car-ee-eye]

Colour hair: black

Colour eyes: brown

Age: Older than you are

Clothes:

            Normal: Strapped navy sleeveless vest and blue pants. He wears little clothing.

            Battle Costume: Same thing except he has a belt which holds his sheath and sword. His vest now is black and his boots are also black. During battle, he wears gloves. He has the least armour of the four of them, since 

Accessories: His sword is very long and big. Usually he has a dagger hidden in his boot for self defence. The dagger is black with a thick sharp blade. His sword has a brown hilt and silver coloured blade. He doesn't usually have range, since it is Eltila and Yaleri who usually do the range part. But we don't know. He's just not been seen using a range weapon. Yet.

Likes: winning. 

Dislikes: losing

Personality: Not many people know him and he prefers to keep it that way. He's very secretive, and doesn't like getting emotionally attached to anyone.

Blade:…

Bit Beast: …

Element: Fire

Yaleri [Yal-ler-y]

Colour hair: Mahogany

Colour eyes: blue

Age: Older than you

Clothes: 

            Normal: he's very tall and wears a white shirt and green pants. 

            Battle costume: he wears the most armour out of the four. He's got shoulder blades, breast plates, and knee and elbow plates. He wears light clothing and red pants. 

Accessories: His choice of weapon is the spear. He uses that and for range, throwing daggers. Usually, like Kariey, he has a some sort of weapon with him at all times, we think it's a dagger, with him, but no one's actually seen it.

Likes: See Kariey

Dislikes: Many things, among them, people who look too carefully.

Personality: He's got really bad punishments when people don't do so well, and he's the best out of the four at glaring.

Blade: …

Bit Beast:…

Element: Earth

Helenia [Hel-LEN-ya]

Colour hair: Aqua, and it's held back in a long braid that goes down to her waist.

Colour eyes: Emerald

Age: What about…older than you?

Clothes: 

            Normal: tight black top, loose blue pants, silver circlet around neck, though no one knows what it's doing there.

            Battle costume: Probably the most drastic change in normal/battle. Hair is in a ponytail, she has blades for her shoulders and knees, and very tight dark blue tank top, and matching very short skirt. She wears long boots and a red bandana.

Accessories: Her choice of weapon is an axe tipped whip. Its handle has a blade on it so it can slice enemies apart even if they're close. She's got three or four of these since they break easily. She's never had to use her self-defence weapon yet, and it's kind of impossible to see how it would be hidden on her. But who knows?

Likes: watching the waves

Dislikes: people not following orders, people trying to boss her around

Personality: Very defiant and stubborn, but she is very open to her Mages, more open than any of the other Guardians.

Blade: …

Bit Beast:… 

Element: Water

The Guardians are a group of Fays, or magicians in human form. Many people don't know this. They disappeared a long time ago, when their bit beasts were captured. Where they are now? No one knows. They visit the Mages from time to time, bringing news and counsel. 

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	2. New Beginnings

Disclaimer: hmm…I don't think I own Beyblade or else Tyson and Kenny and Hilary would be long dead by now. snickers evilly No. I only own the OC's and the plot.

NOTE 

This is my first fanfic so be nice to it. I'm going to put a bit of romance into it later on but as you may be able to tell, these OC's aren't the type for romance. 

I hate Kenny and Tyson and Hilary so if you are a Tyson fan or an obsessed Kenny fan or an obsessed Hilary fan, then don't take this seriously. I'll be nicer to them since I know there are fans out there… 

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

A girl around the age of sixteen lay on her bed in her mansion. She had light blue hair that spread around her pillow. It was streaked in white and darker blue. Her eyes…no one had seen her eyes for the last few years now. Everyone who did know her eye colour had forgotten what it was. Even herself. She wore a loose long sleeved shirt. A white one which had a ripple design. Her pants were navy blue, almost black., and one could mistake them for a dress because of its looseness. She looked at the girl on the bed next to her. She was obsessed with blue, like herself. Her navy blue hair [no not Tyson hair] was tied to the back of her head and then twisted forward again. She looked at her.

/What, Wing?/

/Nothing…I was just thinking./

They heard each other's voices inside their heads. 

/Um Wing, your brain is made out of mush./

/Be quiet, Aqua./

Aqua. The name suggested gentle, carefree, and shyness. Wing looked at her friend again. She was everything but gentle, carefree, and shy. Again, her blue sunglasses hid her eyes well. That was Wing's doing. She had a red tank top underneath her blue cloak. She wore a black skirt which had an occasional trace of silver and black runners. Around her neck was a blue stone, held in place by a silver chain.

Aqua was a fierce warrior. Like her element, she was unpredictable. She could be very nice at one moment and very nasty the next. But Aqua was Aqua. She was cold, ruthless, merciless, and rude. Except to a select few. 

/What, the queen of the world now?/

/Look, I'm serious./

/You always are./

/They're here./

            On the other side of Tokyo, a certain blue haired boy was picking up his cousin. He also wore sunglasses, but they were black. The hair stuck out in all directions, and the parts of the hair that stuck out were dyed fire red. He had a red vest with black leather straps and nearly identical boots. His pants were a very pale shade of blue and he wore long black gloves. Around his neck was a deep red jewel held in place by a silver chain

            He spoke. "Storm"

            Storm greeted him with the same amount of coldness. "Flame"

            Then they switched to telepathy.

            /How's it going?/

            /Fine. You?/

            /Tough./

            /C'mon, it isn't that bad, is it Storm?/

            /It very well is./

            /Well we better get back to the hotel./

            /We have to stay in a hotel?/

            /For tonight and tomorrow at the most./

            /You trust Wing?/

            /Yeah the same way you trust Aqua./

            /I don't trust her./

            /Whatever./

            They settled in the hotel, though they didn't sleep. They didn't need to. Back in the days of secrecy, they had pretended to, not to arouse any suspicions. Now, it was a whole new game. 

[Back in the mansion]

            Wing was listening. According to what her brother had told her, they were supposed to come tonight. Then she felt it. It was a familiar feeling, as if some old part of her came back. 

            "Listen," She ordered.

            Aqua stopped reading and listened. Then she looked at her and nodded, confirming what Wing had figured

            On the other side of Tokyo at a certain hotel, two boys jerked out of their tranquility. They had been called. They looked at each other, cruel smiles playing on their lips. It was the time they had been training and waiting for.

            Time to resurrect the Celestial Bladers.

"He what?" asked Tyson incredulously.

            The Bladebreakers were at Mr. Dickinson's office, getting informed about the new tournament coming up…and some unexpected news.

            "He retired."

            "Don't worry, Tyson. Remember what happened last time we thought Kai retired?" asked Ray. Deep down, though, he knew this time Kai wasn't going to be coming back.

            "Yeah, He'll come round." Added Kenny.

            "I still can't believe it, though." Said Tyson.

            "Didn't think you cared." Teased Hilary.

            Mr. Dickinson took charge. "Anyway, on the happier note, there's going to be a world cup tournament."

            Tyson cheered. "We're gonna win this."

            Hilary frowned. "Shut up Tyson and stop being so immature."

            Tyson glared at Hilary.

            "So anyway, the tournament's going to be held right here, so you guys don't have to go anywhere." Started Mr. Dickinson again. "The teams passed the preliminaries…you didn't have to do that since you were the champs…are…"

            "Do we know them?" interrupted Tyson.

            "Just shut up and listen." Replied Max impatiently.

            "Yes you know them. The All-Starz, The White Tigers, [Ray blushed a deep red at this point] The Majestics, the Saint Shields…"

            "Ozuma's participating?" asked Hilary

            "Obviously," remarked Tyson with a bored look on his face.

            "Okay back to the subject. The Psychics, and the Demolition Boys."

            "WHAT????" all of the Bladebreakers were incredulous.

            "They got through so yeah they're attending." Replied Mr. Dickinson simply. 

            "There are seven teams, including us." Said Ray. "Who's the eighth?"

            "That's who I want to talk about. They're a group of mysterious bladers. They call themselves the Celestials. And we know close to nothing about them."

            "What?"

            "That's right."

            "What are their bit-beasts?" asked Kenny

            "We don't know if they have bit-beasts or not. They didn't say anything about them, summon them, nothing."

            "Then they don't have bit-beasts." Remarked Ray simply.

            "I won't be so sure if I were you." Said Mr. Dickinson. "They showed traces of bit beasts at the preliminaries."

            "Don't worry, Mr. D. We'll figure them all out." Said Tyson confidently

            "Okay. Now there's just one new rule."

            Tyson stopped halfway through the door. "What?"

            "No one gets to pick who they're blading. We draw. For the third match, the team captains go against each other. Which brings me to the next question. Who's your team captain?"

            The Bladebreakers looked at each other. 

            "I vote Tyson." Hilary said after thinking a while.

            Max was all for it. "Yeah."

            Kenny wasn't so sure. "I vote Ray."

            Mr. Dickinson spoke up. "If I get a vote, I'd also vote Ray. You guys wouldn't have any training done if Tyson was captain."

            Ray was reasoning. They were tied. Three against three. He asked Mr. Dickinson. "Did Kai say anything?"

            Mr. Dickinson started. He had almost forgot. "Oh when Kai came he gave me a letter to give to you. Sorry I forgot." He handed the letter over. 

            Ray opened it. The rest of the Bladebreakers huddled over to read.

            _Dear Bladebreakers_

_            If you are reading this letter now, then you still want my opinion, which is more than I can ask of you, seeing how I've been through the past few years. I want you to know that I haven't betrayed you. I still want the well being of the team. I dropped out because of circumstances out of my control. I am sorry for that. _

_            Take care_

_            Your [ex] team mate._

_            Kai_

_            PS. I don't know if you still consider me part of the team, but I need to point out that you need a new captain So I think you'll be better off with Ray. _

            Tyson frowned. "He's always that brief and to the point, isn't he?"

            Kenny read the letter again. "At least we got what we wanted. Ray's captain."

            The rest of the Bladebreakers agreed.

            Ray had one last question. "So these new bladers…how are they like?" 

            Mr. Dickinson thought for a while. "They're rude. And cold." 

            Ray slid to the back of the room. "No. They can't be who I think they are." He thought to himself.

            The Bladebreakers filed out of the room, followed by Mr. Dickinson. 

            Had they stayed a little bit longer, they would have noticed tall the male figure burst out of the shadows, open the window, and jump outside.

            Ray looked around the room at Max, making sure he was asleep. He had to be very careful. Secrecy was one of their major factors, even from each other. Not for the first time, he wished he was a Guardian. They could talk to their bit-beasts with their minds, making it so that it was physically impossible for anyone else to find their secret. But the guardians had left years ago. And he was not a Guardian. Quietly, he took Driger and slipped outside to the balcony, closing the door behind him. Then he covered his hand over the bit chip and pulled out the green jewel from underneath his shirt. The jewel glowed a little, and so did the chip. The tiger emerged.

            "Any sign of her?" asked Ray [A/N I know Dranzer's a boy but I'm making her a girl in this fic]

            "Nope" replied Driger.

            "There's no reason Dranzer would just…leave us like that."

            "I don't know."

            "There could be a crisis." Dragoon put in. He had heard the conversation.

            "You sure that…"

            "Tyson's sleeping like he always is. It's hard to get any decent sleep with him around."

            "Max is. I think." Draciel put in. He had just come out of the room.

            "Good."

            "So something could have happened." Dragoon repeated

            "But she's done so without us knowing" Remarked Driger

            "Not even during the time about Black Dranzer." Added Draciel.

            "You've got a point there." Said Dragoon thoughtfully. 

            "Maybe Kai's a mage?" asked Draciel

            "No he isn't I asked Eltila myself."

            "Oh."

            Ray looked out into the distance.

            Max looked at the bed next to his. It was empty. Every night, around this time, he had awakened, just to find Ray in the balcony. And for the last week, he had listened to what he said, since he could only hear fragments of it. He had finally pieced the puzzle together. And he did not know what Ray's reaction would be if he knew he had found out. Still, Max could no longer hold it in. He was going to tell Ray tonight.

            Ray was still talking to the bit beasts when he heard a soft moan from the room. Instantly, he spun around, seeing Max standing there, rubbing his eyes.

            "How long have you known?" he asked

            "About a week." Max replied

            "Did you tell anybody?"

            "No, but can you explain this to me? Every night you've been talking to Driger. And Draciel and Dragoon. You can talk to bit beasts?"

            Ray sighed. "Yeah."

            "and?" 

            "Let me start all over."

            "It's okay, you don't have to tell me everything since I do get the impression that you would like to keep this private, but answer this: Why didn't you tell us?"

            "You know there's been people trying to steal our bit beasts. That's why. It can be anyone. Also, I didn't want to worry you. This threat…is real. Anyone can do this. Anyone can strike at any time."

            "Are there any more of you?"

            "eight in total."

            "Who are they?"

            "I'm not sure…"

            "You're not?" 

            "We never know who's who. And when we will meet each other when…"

            "When?"

            "When we're meant to."

            "Exactly?"

            "I don't know."

            "But Blading…isn't it just a game?"

            Ray sighed. "I wish it was just a game."

            "I'm confused."

            "Well you see, aeons of years ago, there were no bit beasts. Not as we knew them today. They were real…creatures, if you like. Things that we could touch. They possessed the same powers as bit beasts today…but they were…realer."

            "Really? So what happened?"

            "Well, things were much like today. People wanted power. People wanted world domination. And they tried to capture these creatures. And when the earth was…dark, these four people appeared. Among us, they are the Guardians. They sealed the powers into bit chips."

            "Where are they now?"

            "They were so sought after that they fled somewhere. We don't know."

            "Where do you come in?"

            "Me, and the other seven, are supposed to watch over the bit beasts until they came back, which won't be any time soon, I think."

            "I'm still confused."

            "I might explain more later."

            "So why were these four so…wanted."

            "Firstly, Eltila, Guardian of Air and the East, possessed the first bit beast, Harpona. It's the only one I remember…it was long ago. But Harpona was the only bit beast of an element other than Fire, Water, Air and Earth. She was a Light element. It was…different…and she could use the other elements. Harpona was powerful. When Eltila left, she hid Harpona somewhere, and now she is forgotten."

            "Oh."

            "You should go to bed."

            "Why don't you?"

            "I don't need as much sleep."

            "Okay."

            "One last thing. Don't tell Tyson or Kenny or Hilary. It's just that I want to keep this private for as long as possible."

            "Fine." 

            Max rolled over and fell asleep. Then Ray looked out into Japan before lying on his bed, with a bright green jewel between his hands.

Unigirl: So please I need the names of a few bit beasts. I'm really bad at names. Really bad. So first I need bit beast names for all the psychics since I don't really want them using computerized bit beasts. They have to have one thing in common. Ex: All the Bladebreaker's bit beasts start with Dr. Also I need a bit beast name that starts with Dr for the new Bladebreaker. And also I thought I should take out Tala from the demolition boys so I need a bit beast with borg at the end. Please it would be so helpful and that's why I wont write until I get the input since I need to introduce the new bladebreaker next chapter. Also please include a short description including element and what it looks like. I may modify it a bit. [oh and don't worry Tala and Kai will both be included in this fic.] If you have an OC I might include it so just tell me.

One more thing. Reviewing is not hard. PLEASE REVIEW. Just press the button on the bottom left hand corner that says 'submit review' and type. PLEASE REVIEW. I WILL NOT WRITE UNTIL I GET REVIEWS!


	3. First impressions are Lasting impression...

UniGirl: Well I'm Back!!! 

AND I'VE GOTTEN REVIEWS!!! hugz Okay love you all!!!

I'll try not to do too much dialogue here…hehe but as you will see it doesn't work. I think I'm just a dialogue person. 

            Max woke up a few hours later. He looked over at Ray. He was awake already, probably on the balcony or something. A few minutes later, Ray emerged from the washroom, fully dressed, and Max took his turn. Afterwards, they went to check on Tyson and Kenny. 

            Ray went first, softly knocking on the door. They waited, and after a moment, a lock clicked and the door swung open. They looked in to see the smiling face of Hilary.

            "Morning Ray, Morning Max."

            Ray looked at her for a moment, and then called into the room. "Guys you've got five minutes and Mr. Dickinson's going to pick us up. If you haven't figured out already, we're getting a new team mate."

            Tyson looked at Ray. "What about breakfast? I want…"           

            Max cut him off. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, the kitty's in a bad mood today."

            Tyson sulked. Ray went off back to his room, while Max stayed in Tyson's room.

            _They know nothing of what I'm going through, Nothing. They don't know how it's like to have the weight of the world upon your shoulders. They don't know how hard it is for me to keep this secret. They don't know what it's like to work with allies without knowing who they really are. _Ray thought. There were good times they had together. All of them. They were all gone now.

            It seemed like forever until he heard a knock on the door, and the rest of the Bladebreakers came in, Tyson looking extremely annoyed.

            "Okay. I've ordered breakfast already, and Mr. Dickenson said we can have it in the car."

            "What are we having?" asked Tyson. 

            "Sandwiches. I ordered two for you."

            "That's not enough." 

            Hilary nudged him in the ribs. "Here he comes."

            A black van pulled into the driveway, and the Bladebreakers got in. They ate and talked about the upcoming tournament, and Max kept on stealing nervous glances at Ray. The Chinese blader brightened up a bit after hearing some of Tyson's wisecracks. 

            The van stopped in front of Mr. Dickenson's office. One by one, the Bladebreakers went in, greeted with a smile.

            "Good morning, boys." He said, and after receiving a glare from Hilary, he added, "and girl." Then he continued, "As you are aware, you will be receiving a new team mate."

            Hilary couldn't help herself. "I hope it's a girl."

            Tyson smirked. "Girls can't beybattle…"

            A sharp voice cut through Tyson's "And who told you that?"

            Tyson turned around. Hilary had been right. The door was open and there stood a girl. She was Chinese, with brown eyes. Her black hair was sleek and tied in a tight bun, and her clothes were much like Ray's: A white shirt with blue streaks, and a long skirt/pants thing that fell to her feet. Her gloves were a deep shade of purple.

            The Bladebreakers had obviously noticed the clothing similarities between the two. They looked from Ray to the new girl, and then back to Ray again. It took him a while to get back to his senses enough to speak.

            "Lin?" 

            "Thought you'd forget me after…what…two years?"

            "And they let you go?"

            "And the elders let _you _go? Mind you, they didn't really care. You've got their tiger. Me, I've got nothing of value to them. I mean, what's a dove doing in the White Tiger Village?" She emphasized the words "White Tiger."

            Max broke them off. "You know her?"

            "Yes. She was another one of the girls back home. She's Lin."

            "And you're the Bladebreakers."

            "Yep we are." Said Kenny with a grin.

            "So we'll leave you all on your own now." Mr. Dickinson cut in.

            "All right Mr. D."

            "Why did Mr. D put a girl on our team?" Tyson muttered to Kenny.

            Lin had heard that. "And may I ask what the matter with girls are?"

            "They seem to hear everything."

            "That's a good thing or a bad thing."

            Tyson crossed his arms. "You decide for yourself."

            "Cool it you two. You've only met each other for about thirty minutes and you're fighting already." Said Kenny.

            "It's not my fault he's such an idiot."

            "Who are you calling an idiot?"

            "See? He can't even tell an insult from a compliment."

            "Lin, please calm down. You can show him what you're worth in the beystadium."

            "Fine. Ray. Like you know what being honourable means."

            "I don't Lin, I just don't want you to go crazy."

            "Last time I checked, you told me I was crazy."

            "Last time I checked, I was perfectly fine without you butting into my life."

            "So it's out. You really do like Mariah."

            "I DO NOT!" Ray got on his feet

            "Right." Lin rolled her eyes sarcastically.

            "Lin I can still kick you off the team if I want to."

            "Who will be your spare? Huh?"

            "Anyone. NOT YOU."

            "Would you two stop arguing already?"

            "Good idea Max. Ray looks really freaky when he turns into a cat."

            Ray sat down, fuming with rage. 

            Lin took out her blade, which cast an invisible glow over her. 

            "Thanks Drolcyan," she whispered.

            As it turned out, Lin wasn't trash talking. 

            "LET IT RIP!" screamed Tyson. Lin followed suit.

            "Dragoon attack."

            "Drolcyan dodge it."

            Lin's purple blade moved out of the way as Dragoon closed in.

            "You can run but you can't hide."

            "Really? Drolcyan!" The blade moved swiftly towards a rock and collided.

            "Where'd it go?" asked Tyson. 

            "Dragoon go find it."

            Lin snickered. "Drolcyan final attack!" 

            Drolcyan attacked.

            The blade landed on top of Dragoon and, after lowering its rpm greatly, it jumped off and smashed it from the side.

            "Wow."

            "Drolcyan can keep her balance for a long time."           

            "Yeah."

            "Dizzi?"

            "That is one hot blade."

            "Uh huh. Anything else?"

            "She's a good blader."

            "Thanks for stating the obvious."

            "Hey."

            "Okay then."

            "Fine." Then Dizzi started talking in terms that no one understood.

            "Dizzi, English please?"

            "Ohh…wittle Ty poo cant understand Engwish.."

            "SHUT UP LIN!"

            Ray sighed. It was going to be a long day. 

            The four blades gnawed at each other before flying back to their owner's hands. The four bladers were more than pleased. They had been powerful on their own. Now, together, they were invincible. 

            Their jewels glinted in the sunlight. Four of them.

            They were the Celestials, after all.

            Storm had always done their training. He always will. He was vigorous, tough, everything. Most of all, though, he was effective. His reddish-brown hair had an "up" hairstyle, and he was the only member who wore his jewel underneath his shirt. 

            /Okay./ He looked at his watch. /Lunch time. You want to go to the park or something?/

            /Fine./ Aqua responded. /You know it would sound weird coming from your mouth./

            /Wisecracks sound weird coming from YOUR mouth./

            /Okay let's just get going you people/

            All three of them turned to look at Flame.

            "What?"

            /That was certainly weird./

            /You know we've only been together for about a night, we don't know each other as well as we used to. People change all the time./

            /Typical of Wing, always and forever sensible./

            /…/

            "So what do you say for a picnic?" asked Ray. He winked at Lin.

            "YEAH!" cried Tyson. Then he started listing his favourite foods, being interrupted by Hilary, who put a hand over his mouth.

            "Shut up Tyson. And stop spitting into my hand." She washed her hands abruptly.

            So the four of them took the bus to the park. It wasn't exactly close, but Tyson kept on complaining he didn't want to walk. 

            "Good thing Kai's not here," commented Ray.

            "Yeah," said Max, "He'd make us walk…wait run…to the park."

            Kenny was furiously typing on Dizzi. It wasn't until during the ride that the rest of the Bladebreakers found out what he was doing.

            "Hey! I got the stats on the Celestials!" he exclaimed.

            "Really?" asked Lin, "Let's see."

            "Well, it's just as useful as not knowing," commented Dizzi, "They don't even have their last names."

            "What???" asked Tyson incredulously.

            "And there's nothing on bit beasts either." Said Kenny.

            "But maybe they don't have bit beasts." Remarked Lin, earning a glare of confusion from Ray.

            Everyone looked at Ray.

            "I really don't know."

            "Well, let's see what we have, chief," said Tyson.

            "Right. Okay there are two boys and two girls."            

            "What??" asked Tyson. 

            "You deaf or what?" said Hilary, "Go on, Chief."

            "Okay. So the first one's Storm…"

            "What kind of name is that?"

            "Shut up Ty."

            A picture of Storm popped up. 

            "What else?"

            "Nothing else on him."

            "Huh?" asked Lin.

            "Nothing at all."

            "Secretive."

            "Then there's Aqua," The picture of the navy haired girl popped up onto the screen. "Nothing else on her either."

            "Uh Huh."

            "Flame," Another picture. 

            "Let me guess, nothing else." Said Tyson. [A/N he's got one of those funny faces on.]

            "How did you know?" asked Dizzi sarcastically. "Finally there's the one that we know most about. Her name's Wing." A picture.

            "And?" asked Ray.

            "She's the captain."

            "That's it?" Hilary asked incredulously.

            Kenny shook his head. "I guess we'll be able to figure it out when we get to the tournament."

            "In the meantime, let's enjoy ourselves!" Tyson shouted as he bounded off the bus and into the park.

            Flame looked out into the grassy fields. There were children running and playing, carefree and innocent. He suddenly felt the strong urge to join them. 

            /What are you doing, Flame?/ asked Wing

            Flame shook his head. Typical of her to interrupt his private thoughts. He took out his blue blade. /Nothing. Want to beybattle?/

            Wing nodded. /You're on. It's been a while since we've done it one on one./

            Flame agreed. They had been separated for a very long time…longer than anyone would have guessed.

            The two facing each other, took out their launchers. 

            Wing looked at her friend. /before we start, Aqua, please have your blade ready. Flame might screw and get a bit…enthusiastic./

            Flame glared at Wing.

            They spoke in unison, "3…2…1…LET IT RIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!"

            The blue and white sprang out of the launchers, circling each other before attacking. It wasn't long before a small crowd came to watch the two experts. 

            Flame looked at his blade and sent a message to his bit beast.

            Wing saw the blade steadily increasing spin. She sent her blade flying in the opposite direction, surrounding it. 

            The spectators didn't know what was going on. This was one of the quietest beybattle there ever were.

            The Bladebreakers finished eating their lunches…except Tyson, who insisted to eat more. Suddenly, something caught Lin's eye. She tapped Ray on the shoulder

            "That looks like a beybattle."

            All of the Bladebreakers looked up. Surely enough, there was a small crowd, but they couldn't see the beyblades.

            "Let's check it out," said Hilary.

            And they ran toward the crowd, which parted as they came. There were two blades, one blue and one white, crashing against each other. Then they looked at the bladers. Kenny gasped. "It's the Celestials!" he whispered.

            Suddenly, the crowd leaped back. The blue blade had just set the grass around it on fire. The white haired girl, Wing, started to talk.

            "Flame, I knew you would do that," a blue haired girl sitting on a nearby picnic table said. Then she launched her blade, and it circled the flames for a few seconds before flying back into her hands.

            "thanks. Now, let's finish this," the boy cried

            They spoke in unison, "ATTACK"

            The blades rushed at each other, both flying up into the air. One was able to land on its base. Tyson gasped. The girl was a very experienced blader. The other one, though, landed on its side and its RPM dropped to zero.

            Kenny had that all recorded. It was better than nothing. Before he could stop him, Tyson rushed out to the girl.

            "I challenge you to a beybattle."

            Wing laughed. "I really don't want to waste my time." She continued walking away.

            "Hey, who do you think you are? This is a World Champion you're talking about!"

            She looked at her team mates. 

            The brown haired one, Storm, sneered. "This kid needs some confidence shattered."

            "Go on, Wing, it won't take long."

            She turned to face Tyson.

            "Okay."

            They set their launchers.

            Wing remained silent as they launched their blades.

            Kenny was typing on Dizzi, who remarked, "she's a girl, a pretty good one at that."

            Ray, Max and Lin watched from the sidelines.

            The two blades flew into action. Dragoon headed straight for the attack, but the other blade, Wing's, easily dodged out of the way. It happened for a few more times until:

            Tyson summoned his bit beast. "DRAGOON ATTACK!"

            This time, Dragoon met its mark. The white blade flew up into the air as Tyson put on a smirk. 

            Dizzi lowered his spirits a bit, "Don't be so sure of victory, Tyson. I don't know much about her but she isn't ready to lose."

            Tyson looked at the girl to see that Dizzi was right. She was smiling pleasantly as the blade flew above her head and started falling downward.

"RAPID SPIN!" she ordered. The white blade spun very quickly, and leaned onto an angle.

"Tyson watch out!" warned Ray, but it was too late. Wing's blade fell right on top of Dragoon. The bit beast was confused. Then the blade jumped off, after lowering Tyson's RPM greatly. She knocked the blade right out of the dish. Wing's blade circled the dish twice before flying back into its owner's hand.

"That was pathetic." She sneered. Then she walked toward the parking lot.

Ray called out, "Wait!"

The four of them turned. Then Flame asked, "What?" 

Ray looked at him, surprising the Bladebreakers. Wing was all they were interested in, and Ray was interested in Flame. 

He asked him "What's your name?"

            The Bladebreakers were surprised. The Ray they knew had a good memory. It was just on the bus that they had learned.

            Not Lin. Lin knew exactly what Ray was doing. And she didn't plan to tell the Bladebreakers. 

            The boy glared at him. Well, it wasn't really a glare because Ray couldn't see his eyes, but he could feel the coldness.

            "Call me Flame."

            "Flame," Ray repeated. "So that's not your real name?"

            Lin smiled at the boy. He was wise not to offend Flame, but they seriously needed to know.

            Flame sent a message to Wing, /Let me guess, he's a Mage./

            /How'd you know?/ she replied sarcastically.

            Flame turned his attention to the task at hand. "Flame is one of my many names."

With that, the boy turned and walked away, followed by the rest of the team. When they got to the edge of the park, he took out a walkie-talkie and spoke into it. Within seconds, a black limousine drove up to them and they got in.

            Ray turned to Lin. "What was that all about?" Max inquired.

            "I really don't know," replied Ray. "Maybe I had just imagined it, but when they were blading…" he broke off.

            "What?" asked Kenny,

            "when they were blading, Wing and Flame, for a second there, just before the end, Flame's blade looked strangely like…like…" he broke off a second time.          

            "Like what?" asked Tyson

            "Like Dranzer." Replied Ray simply.

            The Bladebreakers stared.

            Back in their mansion, Aqua was watching a bowl of water. Water had reflective qualities, and was just perfect for scrying. And Aqua controlled the element of water. She was watching the Saint Shields. They were in Japan, too. But she was most interested in Mariam. They were having a conversation. After moving along different subjects, they rested at the Bladebreakers. Then Aqua had a fleeting memory. Setting the bowl down she sprinted to Storm's room and knocked.

            The door swung open. Wing was already there, talking to him. About the same subject she was questioning. That tiger. He was a tricky one. 

            /He suspected, didn't he?/

            /Yes./

            /This could result in a tight spot for us./

            /obviously./ 

            /The problem is, we can't lie. He knew that./

            /that the Celestials are back?/

            /Not exactly./

            /he's close./

            /and that friend of his, she's also a Mage./

            /A Mage of Air. Her talent is a very useful one in this situation. She senses magic/

            /yes./

            /still…/

            she straightened up. Then she spoke. "Aqua, you are to stay here with Flame. Storm and I are going for a little visit tonight."

            /where?/

            She just smirked.

Maxies Gurl Zoe: You do?? Well…there's all sorts of people. Your faves are some of my least fave characters…I didn't bash her that bad, did I?

Nessi: I WANT KAI TOO! Well Kai's in this fic but he plays a big part in the end. He affects the whole outcome. Even more than ray. Can I use your character, change the name a bit…maybe just like Thomas…? Oh the bit beast is too close to Wyborg, No matter. I've got a bit beast for him…thanks Tell me what you think!

BRITT: I LOVE U TOO GIRL!! Well Bryan's going to be REALLY evil in this fic even though I don't hate him. So it's not a good idea. He's just as bad as Ian. Maybe worse. And he wont have many lines. What about Kane? I still can't find a pair for him [not Salima] and I was planning on taking Jim out and putting Britt in. The name's great! The Bladebreakers are full…sorry… if you had done it before I came up with Lin, fine. Not now. THANKS I LOVE U GIRL

Droopy [numbers I forgot]: What I meant was after Kai and Dranzer did the thing, you switched to first person, and I was thinking, who is that first person…I get hyper too, don't worry.

Chris: Yeah it could be longer…lolz…but I can't seem to write long chapies…WAAA

Rinnalaiss Turegwaithen: Ya u saved me bigtime. And yeah, that's a good thing. Thanks 4 putting me on your faves! I feel special   
  
Lady Juriana of Phoenix Region: You've got a lot of fanfics. anyways whatever happened to short little names?? Don't take it personally I'm a very lazy speller. And I still haven't got your six versions figured out yet. It'll take me some time  
  
Ice Archer Girl: U REVIEWED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! Sorry I'm a bit hyper. U know it's ironic that you're the one complaining about the time it takes to read it and you're asking for longer chaps. Thanks for the advice though. I have trouble writing long chaps. Maybe I'll compensate by writing more often.


	4. Reunion

Unigirl: Okay I'm back really quickly. This chap is so fast thanks to Hong because he/she gave me two reviews telling me to hurry up. Yes. Oh as a note if you are sending an anonymous review tell me if you're a boy or a girl unless it is totally obvious. So now quit the dallying lets get on to the chapter. One more thing. If either Ice Archer Girl or anyone who I have reviewed and said it was great please update. I NEED TO READ FANFICS SO I CAN WRITE FANFICS. Last note: [did I say the last one was last?] for Hong and other people, don't expect me to write so fast in the future. It is because this was a very relaxing weekend for me and that rarely ever happens. So anyway. **Thanks a lot to Britt for her character, and I do love the bit beast girl. Thanks LOVE YA.** Anyway I won't be able to update often because I will be collaborating with Feya on a fic. No it's not beyblade. It's Phantom of the Opera so if any of you are interested follow the link on one of Feya's numerous reviews and check it out. No I don't like POTO but I can't miss this chance to tease one of my classmates. So basically if I GET THE M.A.P., then it's not going to have a lot of POTO in it but knowing Feya she's going to go crazy anyway…I have weird friends, really weird friends. So now you're all dying to read on so I'll stop this blabber

            "But…"

            "But nothing."

            "You never knew him."

            "You never knew him well."

            "She has a point there."

            "Driger you're on my side."

            "He's just stating the truth."

            "Drolcyan, I can manage without you."

            "Thanks for the support."

            "You're welcome."

            Ray and Lin were on the balcony again. Talking. Ray was worried. In the last few days, he had tried to push the topic into the back of his mind. But it was here again. Why had Kai left? He always knew Kai was cold and rude, but Ray had never doubted Kai's loyalty. He was always there when they needed him. And Driger couldn't make contact with Dranzer. Drolcyan tried too, and she couldn't either. That meant that Dranzer had sealed herself off, or been unable to speak. Was Kai kidnapped? Back in BioVolt? Was Dranzer taken? All these questions swam in Ray's head.

            "One at a time, Ray" He spun around. Standing behind him was a tall boy…well you wouldn't exactly call him a boy when he was over a thousand years old…but he sure looked like a boy. Next to him was a girl…also over a thousand years old…but a girl just the same. 

            "Who's that?" asked Lin

            "That's Yaleri, my Guardian." Replied Driger.

            "So that's the Guardian of Earth." She nodded.

            "You appear at the right times, you do." Said Ray cautiously. The Guardians were unpredictable. The only thing he could trust about them, was that they never lied. 

            "Your troubles, Ray, poison the air. It is even hard to breathe." Replied the girl.

            "Nonsense Eltila."

            "What's troubling you?"

            "You know already, don't you?" he asked Yalari.

            "Of course I know. It is only polite to ask."

            "Can I ask a question?" Drolcyan butted in, "Have I just became an inanimate object?"

            Eltila glared at Drolcyan. Even though she was a bit of a troublemaker, Drolcyan still had respect for her Guardian.

            "Have you heard of the Celestial blading team?"            

            The two looked at each other. "Yes." Yaleri said. "they are very dangerous."

            Lin watched and withdrew into a corner.

            "What of Kai Hiwatari? You know him?" 

            Eltila smiled. "Yes, I know him. Have my word that he is in good hands."

            Ray relaxed a bit. "And what of his bit-beast Dranzer?"

            "With Kai."

            "Then why did he resign?"

            "That is his privacy, not for me to tell."

            Ray nodded. Once Eltila settled on something, she would not tell. 

            "When will the Guardians be back?"

            "When you feel them."

            "exactly?"

            Yaleri smiled mysteriously. "When the time is right."

            He gave up. 

            "well, I guess both me and Lin and Driger have become inanimate objects."

            Yaleri turned to Drolcyan. "Keep butting in and I will personally make sure you are an inanimate object."

            Now Drolcyan was scared. 

            "Will Kai ever come back to Blading?"

            "If he chooses."

            That was the problem with them. They would never give straight answers. What he knew was that Kai was safe and with Dranzer. That was all. And he had to believe it.

            "Listen. I told one of my team mates…Max…"

            "You what?" asked Lin suddenly

            Eltila addressed Ray, "Continue"

            So Ray recalled the night with Max. After his story was finished, Lin and Drolcyan were staring at him incredulously, and Yaleri was nodding slightly. Eltila  had no expression on her face. 

            "It's okay," Yaleri said finally, "Many know already. It is not much of a secret. That does not mean you have to blabber, but there is little serious damage done."

            "Okay, one more thing…" but they had left.

            "RAY IS THAT YOU???" a pink haired girl flung herself onto Ray and squeezed hard. 

            "Stop it Mariah." 

            "Yeah you'll strangle him someday," said a cold voice behind her. Mariah spun around. 

            "Lin? What are you doing here?"

            "She's the newest Bladebreaker." Replied Hilary

            "SHE WHAT??"

            "She is the newest Bladebreaker." Kenny repeated.

            "Cool it you two," said Lee.

            "Nice to meet you, Lee. How's it going?" 

            "Fine, I guess."

            Meanwhile, Mariah and Lin glared at each other.

            Tyson broke the silence. "I'm hungry." He whined.

            Everyone laughed except Tyson, who said, "What?"

            Then Gary stopped laughing. "Okay, Let's eat."

            Hilary dragged Tyson over to a corner by his ears. "We've got to train." 

            Ray chuckled. "Let the kid have some fun."

            So as Tyson and Gary had an eating contest, Ray was trying to get some extra space so that he could talk to Lin. But Mariah wouldn't let him. It was chaotic.

            The celestials smiled. All of the bladers were getting together. All the mages too. Perfect.

            "Um…hi Ray," said another voice while Mariah was leaning onto him. Ray turned. 

            "Who's that?" asked Mariah

            "Hi Salima. It's been a while."

            "Right it has. Tyson might be so bloated he wouldn't be able to beybattle." 

            "Nonsense, Kane."

            "Where are Goki and Jim?"

            "Goki is coming. And you're not the only team with a new blader."

            "Oh, this is Lin." Lin smiled at the boy.

            "Who's your new blader?"

            A girl poked her head from behind Kane. She had blonde hair with brown streaks. 

            "Britt??" asked Max,

            Britt smiled shyly. 

            Max went up to her. "You haven't changed much" 

            She shook her head.

            "C'mon get over with the shyness."

            She smiled.

            "So you know Britt?" asked Kane.

            "Yup, she's my cousin."

            "Hmmm…."

            "I never knew you could blade Britt,"

            "Of course how could I just stand and watch you have all the fun?"

            "Well…"

            The Celestials were training again. [A/N do they ever do anything else?] Storm had his white blade clash against Flame's blue one. Wing shook her head a bit. Storm had launched his blade a bit off spin. This was not looking as well as she had wanted it to. Aqua, beside her, was probably the most carefree blader, but of course she knew when to get serious. 

            After a while, they sat down around a table. 

            /How'd it go?/

            /Ignorant./

            /stupid kid./

            /well he isn't really that stupid./ 

            /Storm is/

            /Aqua…/

            /you're no better than Bro/

            /Well you're bro isn't even special. He technically isn't your brother./

            /…/

            /So Wing, have you gotten everything sorted out?/

            /yup. Actually you all did it for 

            /you know you are very talkative?/

            /I know except that we aren't technically talking./

            /good Flame, you're starting to joke. But we need to get Wing in the circle./

            /Just leave her alone./

            /ooh talk about protecting her./

            /shut up./

            /but like Flame said, we're not talking./

            /doesn't matter./

            /Let's go pay the kittens a visit now./

            /Fine/

            "So have you heard of  the new team Kane?"

            "Yeah, they're called the Celestials, aren't they?" asked Salima.

            Ray gave her a smile. Lin glared at her and Mariah managed to glare at both of them at the same time. "Yes."

            "Have you even met them?"

            Tyson was stuffing his face before he spat it back out. "Met them? We've even beybattled them and they were a bunch of armatures. But somehow they lucked out even with Dragoon's phantom hurricane and the blade landed on top of him, but that was a lucky coincidence."

            "Tyson, clean that up," said Hilary looking at the plate of half chewed up food. 

            Kenny replayed the recording of the battle to the White Tigers and the Psychics. 

            After looking through it sombrely, Lee remarked, "That was no coincidence, She has skill."

            "I have to admit, for a girl, that's pretty good."

            Mariah couldn't resist. "What's wrong with girls?"

            Britt laughed a bit. Max used to be like that when they were young. Then she looked at her captain again. He was sweet…cute…everything she wanted in a boy. She shook her head. Kane would date Salima a million years before he dated her. Besides, he wasn't the type. 

            Kane, on the other hand, kept silent until the little conversation was over. Then he said one word. "Leniah" 

            Ray, Mariah, and Lin turned to look at him tentatively. The others looked puzzled. 

            He saw them and then winked. "Oh sorry, I realized I was speaking a different language…anyway I was saying that it was weird."

            Tyson looked like he was going to but in, but Ray cut him off. "It's okay. Anyway, I didn't realize that you could speak a different language."

            Kane smiled. "I know bits and pieces…"

            He stopped and looked around. 

            Tyson looked behind him. "Oh, it's you again." He said. 

            The rest of them turned around and saw nothing. 

            As they broke up, Ray mouthed to Mariah and Kane, "My room. Tonight."

            "Nice thinking there."

            "it's okay."

            "How long have you been a mage, Kane, you've got a mighty weird accent."

            "Well I dropped off in the incident with our team and yours, Ray, and then I came back in. Helenia was not very happy with me."

            "Helenia?"

            "the water guardian."

            "Oh."

            "So what did you want to talk about?"

            Drolcyan had enough of watching. "Us bit beasts have feelings you know."

            Lin glared. "Shut up birdbrain."

            Drolcyan shut up.

            "I was thinking, maybe the Celestials are actually the Shadow hunters."

            "WHAT??" all four of them were shocked.

            Mariah came to her senses first. "Uh no."

            Then Lin said thoughtfully, "It could be. I mean, they obviously represent an element, those names are obviously not their real names, and they do meet the danger requirements."     

            "Right."

            "Or…" Kane said hesitantly,

            "What?"

            "Or they could be the Guardians."

            "No way." All of them, even the bit beasts, said.

            Max then knocked on the door. "hi."

            Everyone jumped. 

            Then Mariah started asking Ray something in that language.

            "He knows."

            Everyone stared at Ray.

            Max knew he had really bad timing. He ran back to bed. Draciel made sure he was asleep. Personally.

            Aqua cupped her hand over her jewel Her bit chip glowed with it. Her fish like bit beast rose out of the chip and joined the others. A unicorn. A bird. And a dragon. The tournament was drawing nearer and nearer. And they were looking forward to it

Unigirl.

Phew. Okay I'll try to update every weekend. That's a promise. Otherwise, I'm very busy. PLEASE I NEED BIT BEASTS!!!! READ AND REVIEW! PS. Sorry if all the characters are ooc. I've got a problem with that since I didn't see much of season one and I didn't read decent eppy guides so if uve seen a good website with good eppy guides tell me. I've already seen beyblade.com and tvtome. It's not very helpful. Oh, and Britt doesn't belong to me. 

Feya:………O.O STOP FLAMING ME! flames Feya's fic that doesn't exist

Britt: So how is she so far? Kane's a sweetie. I know. Hugs KaneI Love Ya Too.

Nessi: Well, you'll have to wait to see what happened with Kai. It's at the end of the fic. The end. And so it'll be a while. Unless I get more reviews. Then I'll reconsider. I know, I'm evil. Here I'll tell you he's somewhere safe and he's got Dranzer with him.

Hong: Sorry about that but I really am not spilling the beans yet. Nope. Kai comes out at the end of the fic but if you reread the fic so far you should be able to figure it out. If you're smart. All the pieces are here.

l.m.o.e.: I'm sure it's not that bad…I've been busy but I do want to read it. Yeah. Glad you like it.


	5. Discussions

UniGirl: Okay here's the update and again please tell me your gender it is extremely hard to reply to reviews appropriately. I pity the fool who thinks I'm a boy. So anyway. Thanks a lot to Britt for her character, and I do love the bit beast girl. Thanks LUV YA. Anyway I won't be able to update often because I will be collaborating with Feya on a fic. No it's not beyblade. It's Phantom of the Opera so if any of you are interested follow the link on one of Feya's numerous reviews and check it out. No I don't like POTO but I can't miss this chance to tease one of my classmates. So basically if I GET THE M.A.P., then it's not going to have a lot of POTO in it but knowing Feya she's going to go crazy anyway.I have weird friends, really weird friends. So now you're all dying to read on so I'll stop this blabber *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Britt smiled shyly.  
Max went up to her. "You haven't changed much"  
She shook her head.  
"C'mon get over with the shyness."  
She smiled.  
"So you know Britt?" asked Kane.  
"Yup, she's my cousin."  
"Hmmm.."  
"I never knew you could blade Britt,"  
"Of course how could I just stand and watch you have all the fun?"  
"Well." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The Celestials were training again. [A/N do they ever do anything else?] Storm had his white blade clash against Flame's blue one. Wing shook her head a bit. Storm had launched his blade a bit off spin. This was not looking as well as she had wanted it to. Aqua, beside her, was probably the most carefree blader, but of course she knew when to get serious.  
After a while, they sat down around a table.  
/How'd it go?/  
/Ignorant./  
/stupid kid./  
/well he isn't really that stupid./  
/Storm is/  
/Aqua./  
/you're no better than Bro/  
/Well you're bro isn't even special. He technically isn't your brother./  
/./  
/So Wing, have you gotten everything sorted out?/  
/yup. Actually you all did it for me./  
/So typical of you Flame, they didn't take it seriously at first. The letter./  
/What else could I do?/  
/What about you Storm?/  
/Ran away. It's happened in the past./  
/The four of them shivered at the memory./  
/I hated that place./  
/easy for you to say, Aqua, you were the first of us that left. Then it was Flame then Wing and finally me./  
/So what has been happening there?/  
/the usual/  
/you know you are very talkative?/  
/I know except that we aren't technically talking./  
/good Flame, you're starting to joke. But we need to get Wing in the circle./  
/Just leave her alone./  
/ooh talk about protecting her./  
/shut up./  
/but like Flame said, we're not talking./  
/doesn't matter./  
/Let's go pay the kittens a visit now. Not to mention the chicken and the fish./  
/Fine/ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
"So have you heard of the new team Kane?"  
"Yeah, they're called the Celestials, aren't they?" asked Salima.  
Ray gave her a smile. Lin glared at her and Mariah managed to glare at both of them at the same time. "Yes."  
"Have you even met them?"  
Tyson was stuffing his face before spitting it back out. "Met them? We've even beybattled them and they were a bunch of armatures. But somehow they lucked out even with Dragoon's phantom hurricane and the blade landed on top of him, but that was a lucky coincidence."  
"Tyson, clean that up," said Hilary looking at the plate of half chewed up food.  
Kenny replayed the recording of the battle to the White Tigers and the Psychics.  
After looking through it sombrely, Lee remarked, "That was no coincidence, She has skill."  
"I have to admit, for a girl, that's pretty good."  
Mariah couldn't resist. "What's wrong with girls?"  
Britt laughed a bit. Max used to be like that when they were young. Then she looked at her captain again. He was sweet.cute.everything she wanted in a boy. She shook her head. Kane would date Salima a million years before he dated her. Besides, he wasn't the type.  
Kane, on the other hand, kept silent until the little conversation was over. Then he said one word. "Leniah"  
Ray, Mariah, and Lin turned to look at him tentatively. The others looked puzzled.  
He saw them and then winked. "Oh sorry, I realized I was speaking a different language.anyway I was saying that it was weird."  
Tyson looked like he was going to but in, but Ray cut him off. "It's okay. Anyway, I didn't realize that you could speak a different language."  
Kane smiled. "I know bits and pieces."  
He stopped and looked around.  
Tyson looked behind him. "Oh, it's you again." He said.  
The rest of them turned around and saw nothing.  
  
As they broke up, Ray mouthed to Mariah and Kane, "My room. Tonight." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
"Nice thinking there."  
"it's okay."  
"How long have you been a mage, Kane, you've got a mighty weird accent."  
"Well I dropped off in the incident with our team and yours, Ray, and then I came back in. Helenia was not very happy with me."  
"Helenia?"  
"the water guardian."  
"Oh."  
"So what did you want to talk about?"  
Drolcyan had enough of watching. "Us bit beasts have feelings you know."  
Lin glared. "Shut up birdbrain."  
Drolcyan shut up.  
"I was thinking, maybe the Celestials are actually the four Demons."  
"WHAT??" all four of them were shocked.  
Mariah came to her senses first. "Uh no."  
Then Lin said thoughtfully, "It could be. I mean, they obviously represent an element, those names are obviously not their real names, and they do meet the danger requirements."  
"Right."  
"Or." Kane said hesitantly,  
"What?"  
"Or they could be the Guardians."  
"No way." All of them, even the bit beasts, said.  
Max then knocked on the door. "hi."  
Everyone jumped.  
Then Mariah started asking Ray something in that language.  
"He knows."  
Everyone stared at Ray.  
Max knew he had really bad timing. He ran back to bed. Draciel made sure he was asleep. Personally. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Aqua cupped her hand over her jewel Her bit chip glowed with it. Her fish like bit beast rose out of the chip and joined the others. A unicorn. A bird. And a wolf. The tournament was drawing nearer and nearer. And they were looking forward to it *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Unigirl. Phew. Okay I'll try to update every weekend. That's a promise. Otherwise, I'm very busy. PLEASE I NEED BIT BEASTS!!!! READ AND REVIEW! PS. Sorry if all the characters are ooc. I've got a problem with that since I didn't see much of season one and I didn't read decent eppy guides so if uve seen a good website w good eppy guides tell me. Ive already seen beyblade.com and tvtome. Its not very helpful  
  
Feya:...O.O STOP FLAMING ME! *flames Feya's fic that doesn't exist*  
  
Britt: So how is she so far? Kane's a sweetie. I know. *Hugs Kane*I Luv Ya Too.  
  
Nessi: Well, you'll have to wait to see what happened with Kai. It's at the end of the fic. The end. And so it'll be a while. Unless I get more reviews. Then I'll reconsider. I know, I'm evil. Here I'll tell you he's somewhere safe and he's got Dranzer with him.  
  
Hong: Sorry about that but I really am not spilling the beans yet. Nope. Kai comes out at the end of the fic but if you reread the fic so far you should be able to figure it out. If you're smart. All the pieces are here.  
  
l.m.o.e.: Im sure it's not that bad.I've been busy but I do want to read it. Yeah. Glad you like it. 


	6. Coffee Break!

Sorry I keep on forgetting to write stupid disclaimers. I don't own beyblade or else Tyson and Hilary and Kenny are in big trouble. So is Kai.*smiles evilly* 

Kai: .

Second thing: I FEEL ABANDONED!!!!! Special thanks to Britt and The Tigeris. This chapter would not be up without you.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Morning came. Tyson and the bladebreakers were training for the tournament in five days.

            "Man, Ray, you aren't much better than Kai." He panted, running laps around the park

            "Oh. Sorry."

            Tyson sighed.

            Lin ran in silence. There was much on her mind right now. Ray, Mariah, Kane and her. That was four. Ray and Mariah had Yaleri. She had Eltila. Kane had Helenia. Where was the other four? Surely there would be one on each team. Yet there were five more teams. Drolcyan, sensing Lin's confusion, turned uncomfortably in her bit chip.

            "Lin? Hello?" Tyson was waving his hand in front of her face. 

            "You looked like you were on a different planet there, girl." Said Max.

            Kenny as typing and Hilary frowned at Tyson's childishness. 

            Ray went up to her. "You were thinking about them, weren't you?" he whispered.

            "Yes." She whispered back.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Ozuma watched the bladebreakers from the top of the roof of a building. 'Tyson needs another lesson,' he thought. 'Where's Kai?' he asked himself. He reached underneath his shirt. Mariam was sitting beside him. 

"What?" she asked. "Do you know anything about Kai?" 

"As much as you do."

Dunga butted in. "That means you don't know anything."

"Hey."

"Cool it, you two. They're going to hear us."

"Right."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            "Let it rip!" Tyson and Max pulled their ripcords. Green and White circled each other and Dragoon attacked. 

            A black blade streaked through, knocking it off balance.

            "Ozuma?" 

            Flash Leopard flew back into its master's hand. Ozuma jumped down from the roof and landed in front of Tyson. 

            "Is the roof like a front door to you?" 

            "Yes." Joseph said. Mariam and Dunga were behind him.

            "So it's you four. What do you want now?"

            "we're here to talk about the new team. The Celestials."

            "What?"

            "Let's just say Ozuma knows a bit more about them than you give credit for." Said Mariam.

            "They."

            He was cut off by a brown blade, spinning past his ear. It flew back into the bushes and a tall boy walked out. He had reddish hair [a little darker than Tala's] and his eyes were hidden by sunglasses. He wore a black coat over his shirt and his pants were green. A trace of a silver chain was shown on his neck.

            "You're from the Celestials?" asked Ozuma.

            He nodded.

            Then, behind him, the boy called Flame appeared. 

            "So what do you want?"

            "Nothing. Nothing at all."

            "Then Why are you here?"

            "Because."

            Tyson whispered to Max, "I don't like these guys, they remind me of Kai." 

            Flame heard, and gave Tyson a death glare, which he felt, even through the sunglasses. Then they turned on their heels and walked away.

            "Talk about attitude."

            "So what did you want to tell us?" Ray asked Ozuma, but he was gone.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Bryan sat at the airport, waiting for Boris. It didn't take long for him to come. He carried his baggage and walked behind him through the sliding doors. The rest of the team followed. Once inside the car, he set his baggage down. He looked at the newest member. His green eyes stared straight ahead, expressionless. He pictured the redhead he knew as Tala, the old captain. He had run away just a few weeks ago. Must have been that last battle he had with Tyson. That was two traitors now, Tala, and that Kai. 

            The car was silent. Spencer was checking his blade, Ian and Tomas looking forward at the back of Boris' head. 

            They reached the hotel, and Boris got off first, followed by the Demolition Boys. Upon stepping off the car, something on the floor caught Bryan's eye. He squatted down to pick it up. 

            "what are you doing?" asked Boris.

            "This, Sir." He held up the small object and dropped it onto Boris' hand. Boris held it in the sun. 

            "I wouldn't have thought he would go this far," Boris muttered as he examined it.

            "What is it, sir?" asked Ian.

            Boris let them see, which was very rare. It was a bit chip, and engraved onto it was a shape they found very familiar. It was a wolf. It was Wolborg. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Inside a mansion, [they've got a mansion in Japan?] Johnny and Robert were playing chess while Enrique was out flirting [does he do anything else?] and Oliver was cooking. 

            "Dammit. [A/N no Feya I don't swear. Johnny does.] I lost again."

            "Why do I play chess with such uncouth people?"

            "Stop it with that word. I can beat you at chess, Robert. It's just that I can't concentrate."

            "Oh."

            It was true that Johnny couldn't concentrate. He knew the Mages were gathering, even sent Samalyon [Um how do you spell that?] to look for them. They didn't even consider him. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Ray looked out into the distance, at the stadium. The tournament was going to begin. It would be a real test for him. Him and all the other mages. Slowly, driven with a force, he walked into the stadium, and the team followed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Unigirl: Okay what now? Hope you liked it, etc. Thanks for everything! The chapter was actually pretty short and for those who reviewed on the first day I've been taking a long time because I'm waiting for more reviews. I actually got this done on the ninth. I STILL NEED BIT BEASTS CAN U GUYS HEAR ME??? Oh and check out the bios. They're the next chap.

Britt: Thanks. I've basically been living off your reviews, if you get what I mean. So I need to thank you for that. I'm really glad you came by

The Tigris: Glad you like it. The OC's well, they're not all mine.


	7. Just for Starters

UniGirl: Okay I can't think of anything to write here. Really. So let's get to the point.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY ALL

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            All the contestants took their places in the audience as Jazzman, Brad Best, and AJ Topper walked onto the stage. Jazzman held up the mike and announced the beginning of the tournament. Of course, Wing wasn't listening. She was thinking about other things. Her head snapped up when the pairings showed up on the screen.

            Ray looked at the pairings. The Bladebreakers were Second. Against the Psychics. He remembered Salima very well.

*****Flashback*****

"Ray, please forfeit the match."

"Salima…"

"I want to beybattle you fair and square."

"But…"

"Look if you promise to forfeit the match then I'll bring one of those Cyber bit beasts for you and your team to look at properly."

"Alright."

*****End Flashback*****

That was last year. He smiled, partly to himself. Salima will get the honourable match she hoped for. 

The pairings were: First, White Tigers versus Saint Shields, Third, Majestics versus Demolition Boys and finally, Celestials verses All Starz. [A/N you just know who's going to win, don't you?]

There was a small intermission so that the Saint Shields and the White Tigers could go and get themselves ready. In the changing Room, Mariah was doing up her hair, [good luck girl my hairs only up to my back and I spend forever on it] Lee was pacing [is that too ooc?], Gary eating, [sound like Tyson?] and Kevin was checking up on Galman. 

            "We don't know who we're up against. We hardly know that team."

            "Yeah."

In the Saint Shield's changing room, they were just sitting down. After a while, Dunga asked, "You have any idea what those kids are?"

            "Doesn't matter."

            "I've heard Ray has a crush on the girl."

            "Ooh, but she is cute."

            "Too bad she can't blade. Typical."

            "Dunga…" she shook a fist at him.

            "Oh yea?" They both stood up.

            "Settle down you two," said Ozuma. "We need our strength for the beybattle."

            The two sat down, glaring at each other.

The teams waited as Jazzman took the floor. "All right boys and girls, the tournament is about to begin. Allow me to introduce the two teams. On this side…" the doors opened and the White Tigers walked into the stadium. Mariah smiled at Ray who smiled back. Oh and somehow Mariah managed to smile and glare at Lin at the same time. "The White Tigers. The Asian Champs. and on this side…" the doors opened on the other side as the Saint Shields walked in. "the Saint Shields." There was a whole lot of cheering on both accounts.

            Ray didn't know who he was rooting for. If he rooted for the White Tigers, then Lin would probably kill him. If he rooted for the Saint Shields, then Lee would probably kill him. Or Mariah that night when they got together. He kept his mouth shut and Brad introduced the stadium. It was one with almost invisible glass all over the stadium so that the blades will run into the glass when trying to attack.

            Then came the drawing part. Mr. Dickenson put one hand on a card and the other on another card. Then he flipped them over and showed them to Brad. "All right our first contestants will be Mariam and Lee. Then…" he paused as another one of the judges drew. "Mariah and Dunga. If there is a tie, we'll have Lee and Ozuma. You all know the rules. Now step up to the stadium." 

            Mariam and Lee set their launchers. "3…2…1…LET IT RIIIIIIIIIP" "And they're going right for it. Lee's all over her." Said AJ as the blades spun around each other, crashing once in a while. 

            "Attack Galeon!" screamed Lee [A/N don't they get throat aches sometimes?"

            "Sharkrash" screamed Mariam as the two blades went at each other. "They're all on the offence," commented Jazzman. "that's right, and I have a feeling this isn't gonna be long until one of them runs out of steam." 

            Mariam decided to end the battle quickly. "Sharkrash." She said and her blade moved off Galeon. 

            "what, Give up?"

            "In your dreams." 

            "Well let's separate dreams from reality." Galeon charged, but he hit one of the glass walls, and bounced back a few times. 

            "Looks like he found out what it's like to play with glass." Said AJ

            Mariam snickered. " GO SHARKRASH!" 

            The blade spun furiously, and Mariam's fish like bit beast emerged. "ATTACK!" she ordered. And the blade hit Galeon once, twice, into a glass wall, thrice, and sent it out of the stadium. 

            "Wow that was quick." Commented Michael.

            "That girl is good. Got the stats Emily?" 

            "Yes Judy."

            Lee stared at Galeon in shock. "yes and it's a win for the Saint Shields."

            Lin looked at the rest of the Bladebreakers. "Did you see that? Lee didn't even have time to summon Galeon."

            "Weird of you to get excited Lin."

            "And you've got a lot of respect for the son of your tribe's leader."

            Lin pouted and fiddled with Drolcyan.

            "I lost." 

            "Doesn't matter, Lee. We all underestimated that girl."

            "Still…"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

UniGirl: Am I an expert at writing short chapters or what??? AHHHHHH!!!! I hate it. I WANTED THIS TO BE LONGER YOU KNOW!!! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW IT DOESN'T TAKE ME A LONG TIME TO WRITE BUT IT DOES TO PUT UP NEW CHAPS BECAUSE ME NO GET REVIEWS!!!

= (

KAYZ REVIEWS

SilverWingPheonix: Okay…should I comment on your first review then? Cause I've got a lot to say…

Britt: I've got her not looking up to Max for a reason. There's not a lot of chapters to wait, though. It will come soon… Hmm…Biovolt…*snickers because idea pops into head* OH AND YOU NEED TO TELL ME ABOUT BRITT'S GLOVES!!! 

The Tigris: Hey you did help me with the chap! Of course I need to thank you. It's my way of saying I appreciate it.

Tomgirl27: THAX MILLIONZ!!! THANX MILLIONS!!! I'm not that experienced too. I started watching at the end of season 1. SO IM SO HAPPY SEASON 1 IS SHOWING AGAIN IT WOULD REALLY HELP so that I don't make the All-Starz and the White Tigers too ooc. Really.

ONE MORE THING…If any of you ever get an email from someone called Unicorn Girl, that is most probably me. There is one reason why I don't put that in my bio: If my bro came on and saw it, then I will get my fanfic account confiscated. AND YOU DON'T WANT THAT HAPPENING!!! FEYA DON'T GIVE ME AWAY OR ELSE YOU'LL DIE!!!!!!


	8. Assumptions

UniGirl: Hi I'm back again with a new chapter!

Everyone: *Groans*

UniGirl: It's not that bad isn't it?

Tyson: yes it is.

UniGirl: so anyway here I've got MAP [mighty authoress powers] so I can make you do anything I want

Tyson: I'm glad she doesn't own Beyblade.

UniGirl: be quiet Tyson or else I'll make you kiss Hilary

Hilary: Okay!

UniGirl: On second thought, I'll make Tyson kiss Mariam and Hilary kiss Ian.

Tyson and Hilary: Uh Oh, *grabs each other*

Max: *is laughing like crazy*

So anyway thanks to everyone who reviewed. I'm not that hard to please am I? This is really great for me…the most reviews for a chapter [by different people Feya] and I'm so happy!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Okay welcome back to the annual world championships here in Japan. We just had an action packed battle between Lee of the White Tigers and Mariam of the Saint Shields," said Jazzman. {crowd cheers at this point} 

            "yup. And now we've got Mariah of the white tigers…" Most of the boys cheered. "Against Dunga of the Saint Shields." 

            The two stepped up to the stadium and held their launchers up. "You're going down." Said Dunga.

            Mariah smirked

            "3…2…1… LET IT RIIIIIIIIIIP!"

            "Attack" screamed Mariah

            "Vortex Ape!" screamed Dunga.

            "Well they're going right for it. Don't blink guys" commented Jazzman

            The blade crashed into each other, retreated and crashed again. Then Vortex Ape pushed Galux to the side of the stadium and it grinded against the walls of the bowl. 

            "That's it. GALUX" she screamed, and the pink bit beast rose out of the bit chip.

            "Cat Scratch Attack!" she ordered

            "Ooh, those claws bite." Said AJ

            "VORTEX APE!" both of the bit beasts were out now. They ran and pounded at each other. Blades were grinding and sparks were flying everywhere. [how do they do that?]

            At long last, Vortex ape managed to push Galux out of the stadium, and the crowd burst into applause.

            "yes. And the Saint Shields advance into the next round!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            "stupid…idiotic…person." Said Lee as he punched the wall. "We have never lost so badly."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The Celestials were talking again. 

            /Right./

            /So any idea where Storm is?/

            Aqua blushed.

            /Aqua can you make it any more obvious that you have a huge crush on Storm?/

            Storm walked in. /Who has a crush on me?/

            /Um…no one./

            /Yeah who would like you red headed freak./

            /Funny you should speak./

            /That was Wing. Not me./

            /I'm waiting…/ said Wing with her arms crossed against the wall.

            /I liked it better when you were trying to protect me./ muttered Flame under his breath. [okay the equivalent of that except in thought speak]

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            That night, Johnny lay on his bed, awake. Samalyon would find the Mages for him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            "What do you want us all here for?" asked Mariah. She had been a bit upset when Lin told her Ray had not been rooting for her. And then Ray had gotten upset at Lin.

            "Cool it Mariah." Said Lin.

            "Listen to the Linster. Don't listen to me." Said Drolcyan

            "SHUT UP!!!" screamed Lin.

            Kane butted in. "Okay get to the point."

            "Did I say that a while ago?" said Drolcyan

            Lin rolled her eyes.

            "Ooh…Ray…Hm so uncharacteristic of Kariey but then you don't have him." [CAR-E-eye] 

            Ray spun around. There was Samalyon, and perched on top, was Johnny.

            "And may I ask how you got together without me?"

            "Johnny?" Okay that is very uncharacteristic of Yaleri." 

            "Yaleri?" 

            "My Guardian." 

            "Can't we use Eltila? We all know her."

            "Fine. So why isn't it uncharacteristic of Yal-whatever"

            "Yaleri. I thought he would choose Enrique or Oliver."

            Johnny turned a deep shade of red at this point. "And I thought Kariey would choose Kai.

            "To tell you the truth, I thought that too, but Eltila told me Kai wasn't a mage. Speaking of which, I think I know where Kai went."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            So the next day, before their battle with the Psychics, Ray said he needed to go use the jug. He caught up with the boy he was looking for.

            Flame saw this coming way before it came. "You."

            "Me again."

            He turned to walk away. 

            Ray called after him. "Kai!"

            The boy kept walking, as if he didn't know who Kai was.

            "I know you're Kai."

            He stopped. 

            "Don't make assumptions about people you don't know. Kai doesn't exist anymore." Then he turned and walked away.

            Lin came up behind him "He wasn't lying. But Eltila doesn't lie either. These two contradict each other completely."

            Ray looked at his feet, embarrassed. The Celestials were much more mysterious than he had given them credit for.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Here comes UniGirl with the 'unable to write long chapters' disease. I know I've gotten one or two reviews saying they've figured out the Celestials. Trust me, you haven't. Some of you were close, though. Here I'll save you time. Look at Britt's bio and then some of the things I've written to Britt. Try to figure _her _out first. She's easier. Oh yeah if you think you have figured something out then don't put it on the review give me your email, and il send an email to you so you have my address. I know you are all hating me since I put you here and all of a sudden I throw you off track.

PLEASE R&R or else I WONT UPDATE!!! Sorry I had this done for a long time already, but the STUPID INTERNET WON'T LET ME PUT THIS UP!!! ITS SO SLOW!!! YAHOO WAS DOWN FOR THE WHOLE WEEK AND MORE!

[random person: 

Okay Reviewz

Feya: YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY you're dead!!! Saves me the trouble of having to kill you.

Feya: Punjab Lassoes UniGirl

UniGirl: Why did you have to do that? *Swears in German*

Erik: Hey your friend is getting better at it too.

UniGirl: I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE OPERA MONSTER

Erik: O.O

Britt: Thanks for the numerous reviews. Just a question, do you like Ray, Ray/Mariah, or Lee? Tell me the truth! Britt: Are you up to something UniGirl? [well I very well am and if you don't tell me the truth it will screw up!]

Phoenix the 1st: Quote Flame: Don't make assumptions about people you don't know. My brother hates Kai because I love him. But that's all. And then once Feya asked me how it would be like if Kai asked me out and I was like…never will happen but if he did ask me out, then I wouldn't like him anymore. Anti Romance is one of the things I like about Kai. 

Nessi: Oh hi. I THOUGHT YOU ABANDONED ME!!!!!!! *hugz real tight* Sorry I didn't put ur review in the last chap. I got it after I submitted the new chapter to FF.net

The Tigris: *blushes* I spend too much time on the comp too. Except my mum thinks Im doing homework when I'm actually writing. It's just an idea of mine and when she comes in I just minimize the screen. Mum keeps on wondering why it takes me so long to do my work…hehe

ONE LAST THING: This is more of a personal problem, has any of you ever gotten into a what you think is going to be fatal fight with your best best friend? [no you don't know her Feya] Ive known her for two years now and she thinks I want to be queen of the world and I just want to be her proper friend without trying to please her so we had such a bad argument over email and I almost cried because of it. Please help me and FEYA NEVER TALK ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AT SCHOOL!!! OR ELSE I WILL PERSONALLY GET JOEY [since hes the easiest] TO HUG YOU REALLY TIGHT!! OR JASMINE TO LICK YOU AND IF IM SMART I MIGHT GET TRISTAN OR ALBERT TO DO IT!!


	9. Things time can change

UniGirl: Kayz sorry for the while I'm not actually busy but I didn't feel like writing for the last while, so boo hoo. A lot of peeps say its very confusing YOU DO HAVE TO TELL ME WHATS CONFUSING AND THEN ILL EXPLAIN. Thank you. I've also got another fic going so check that out…my second fave character [Kai will come later after I'm done this.] and As always  I LUV REVIEWS!!!!  

[Oh and I'm doing all the battles with the Classic Bowl from now on. Sorry _]

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            Meanwhile, Max was lost in his own world. 

*****Flashback*****

            "Blading is really fun, Britt, you should try it," said Max as he held up his green blade for her to see.

            "It's okay Max. Really, I don't think I'm the type for it." 

            "Please?"

            "No it's okay."

*****End Flashback*****

            She had been so insistent on not to blade…so how come she did it all of a sudden?

*****Flashback*****

            "Mum, do you know why Britt doesn't blade?"

            "That's…her story. She'll tell you when she's ready to."

            "So she's been keeping a secret from me?"

            "Not really. Past experiences are painful. Especially if you are orphaned."

            "Okay."

*****End Flashback*****

            And what had it been to make Britt so keen not to blade? He had not seen her for four years now. She had changed so much. Yes, she was still the shy girl he knew, but there was so many things different about her now. She had not been excited to see him, not even bothered to come over for a visit, even if they were in the same hotel.

            "Hullo Maxie anyone there?" 

            Max landed on earth with a bump.

            "Wh…Wha?" he asked

            "You know, Max, it is very unlikely to catch you daydreaming." Commented Dizzi. 

            "That's not the point. Do you know where Ray and Lin are?" Ray said he needed to go to the washroom ten minutes ago. 

            "It wasn't ten minutes, Tyson, it was twenty." 

            "Who cares?"

            "I'm here now." Came a voice from behind them.

            "Just in time for the battle." Said Dizzi as Brad Best took the stage with AJ and Jazzman. 

            "Ladies and Gents…"

            Brad kept talking but Max was thinking his own thoughts again. [A/N I know, first Ray then Max. Won't happen with Tyson though. Too bad Kai's not in here or else I won't have to write any conversation.]

*****Flashback***** 

[A/N somehow people have time to do all this during a beybattle. It's supposed to be too quick for all this yaking.]

            "You coming Britt?"

            "Okay."

            "It is Beyblade."

            "Doesn't matter. Beyblade's interesting."

            "Then how come you don't try it yourself?"

            "Oh because I know I'll stink."

            But Max wasn't fooled. There was another reason. Britt was looking at his blade, a look of longing.

*****End Flashback*****

            Max jolted to reality as his team was called. He waved to the crowd and stood to face the Psychics. Each of them was looking at someone. Tyson at Kane, Ray at Salima, Max at Britt, and Lin and Goki the crowd. 

            Jazzman walked to the Judges' table and a hush fell over the crowd as the pairings were picked. They showed up on the screen.

            Ray vs. Salima

            Max vs. Britt

            [you can tell I've like obviously rigged this]

            and Ray vs. Kane

            Tyson wasn't really happy because he never got to battle. Lin didn't say anything except she kept glaring at Salima. Salima gave her a puzzled face. Ray saw them, and he smiled a bit. Then he and Salima stepped up to the platform. Ray took out his launcher as Salima took out a Blue one. She winked at Ray. 

            "I guess it's the battle you've been hoping for." He said as he attached his blade.

            "Yup." 

            "Get ready folks, this is going to be one hot battle. We've got Ray from the Bladebreakers. [stats show] and his bit beast Driger and a mighty Tiger Claw Attack!" The crowd went crazy.

            "And on this side we have Salima from the Psychics and her bit beast Driersunt [That is how you spell it] and her Moonshadow!

            Ray gasped. The wolf looked very powerful.

            "OKAY 3…2…1…LET IT RIIP!" 

            "Hey Brad, I heard somewhere that they were once good friends." 

            "Well, there's no friendship shown here that's for sure."

            The two blades, white and beige, crashed into each other. Ray looked up at Salima. She seemed to be enjoying herself. She smiled slightly. 

_ This is the kind of Ray I want to battle._ And Ray smiled at Salima, making Lin glare at her even more intently. 

_Now this is the Salima I know,_ he thought. "ATTACK!" he screamed.

"ATTACK" Salima did the same and the two blades sent sparks everywhere.

"Ooh they're really going for it."

"You could say that again."

"Ooh they're…"

"That was rhetorical, Brad."

"Oh."

"Well, I guess they're finished with the toying. They're really going for it."

Salima attacked again but Ray dodged it. 

"That's it! DRIERSUNT" she called out her bit beast.

"And that's her Driersunt. Ray's in trouble now."

"I wouldn't say that if I were you."

"What?"

"I SAID I WOULDN'T SAY THAT IF I WERE…"

"Okay I get the point."

Ray looked at the blue wolf. She was beautiful…just like Salima…Ray shook his head. Lin would kill him afterwards. 

"DRIGER!" he called. 

Both bit beasts were out now. "DRIGER TIGER CLAW!" 

"DRIERSUNT MOON SHADOW!" 

the bit beasts charged at each other and sparks flew all over the place, even more intense than before. The audience was glued to their seats.

"DRIERSUNT RETREAT!" Salima called, leaving Ray puzzled. 

Salima smiled. Ray had let his guard down. "DRIERSUNT NOW! FINAL ATTACK"

"DRIGER" Ray screamed a second too late. Driersunt knocked him out of the stadium, and the blade flew apart. Fortunately for him, the bit chip…was still intact.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

UniGirl: AW! POOR POOR RAY! I luv him really but then…I luv Kane too and I need Max and Britt and Ray and Salima…so there had to be a loser…Ah wellz. Well Britt's secret will come in the next review sorry if I am a bit too brutal on her I'm trying my best it has to be interesting you know…REVIEW OR YOU'LL NEVER FIND OUT WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO HER!!!

Feya: I call Erik a monster and you can't help it!

All the rest I've said to you. 

ERIK IS A MONSTER ERIK IS A MONSTER!!

Phoenix the 1st: Quote Flame means that I am quoting what Flame said. What nationality are you??? [no discriminating or anything just wondering.] I'm not exactly Caucasian either.  

Britt: So thanks for that. I luv you too. Max: AAAAWWW… SOOO CUUUUTE anyway that's that.

SilverWingPheonix: Yes it's only starting but the tournament part won't be that long…basically the final rounds will…and it's not as important as the intro since…well…*zips* won't say anything else. Basically there are 8 mages and you know five of them now. And there are four guardians who are supposed to be gone ages ago and the Mages are of an element [fire water wind or earth] and they correspond but everyone knows Eltila for reasons UniGirl won't tell at the moment.

The Tigris: Kool…What are you confused on???? 

Nessi: 

UniGirl: I LUVZ KAI-BABY!!!

Kai: O.O

So anyway you don't understand where Kai went because I haven't told you yet. And I won't tell you for another ten or so chapters…or maybe more. Of course but I'll put some of my own additions in…hehe…


	10. And things it can't

UniGirl: Um…I don't own Beyblade. And I love reviews

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            Salima held out her hand and the beige blade returned. She grinned at Ray who looked a bit shaken. Then she turned on her heels and walked back to her team.

"Great Job Salima!" said Kane excitedly.

            "You rocked girl." 

            "Yeah."

            "Thanks. I want to check on Ray…"

            "Is it true that you have a crush on him?" asked Kane

            She blushed. "Just a small one."

            Kane turned around to hide his blush.

            "Hey Ray," Salima caught up to him on his way back.

            "Hi. Great battle."

            "Is Driger okay?"

            "Well…I don't think the blade is fixable…but Driger…s'okay."

            "I'm sorry."

            "It's happened before."

            "Really I am."

            Lin glared at Salima who sweatdropped.

            "It's fine."

            "Great battle though."

            "SALIMA GO AWAY! RAY DOESN'T NEED YOU" Lin had lost her temper.

            Salima sweatdropped majorly.

            "Lin, she can stay."

            "WHAT???????" Lin spat at Ray.

            "She can stay." Ray repeated tiredly.

            "It's…okay. See you around!" Salima said in a falsely cheery voice and headed around the corner.

            "Why did you have to scare her off?"

            "WHY DID YOU HAVE TO…"

            Dizzi butted in. "Lin, can you make it any more obvious that you have a huge crush on Ray?"

            "But…That's…outrageous!" said a bright red Lin as Ray sweatdropped.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The second was about to begin as the Bladebreakers and the Psychics took their places on the stadium. 

            Britt smiled slightly as Max put on a curious expression.

            Brad took the stage. "Welcome…"

            Britt wasn't listening. 

*****Flashback***** 

            "Max left. Why?"

            "His dad and I divorced. He's in Japan."

            "But why? He promised…"

            Judy sighed. "He did."

*****End Flashback*****

            "Alright from this side, the Bladebreakers, defending World Champions, we have Max. Defense is his strategy with his bit beast Draciel." [Stats are shown]

            "But is it good enough for Britt of the Psychics and her fire attacks.?"

            "Doglefox is not a cute puppy."

            Britt smiled again. Max just stared. Jazzman started but Britt cut him off. 

            "Before we begin this match, Jazzman, could I ask Max a question?"

            "Sure."

            "Oh yeah…these two were cousins at a point."

            "They still are. Cousin refers to blood."

            "Oh."

            "Yes, Britt?"

            "Why did you betray me?"

            Max was completely taken aback by this question. "I… what?"

            "You left without telling me. And you took Grandma's pendant with you. You took Draciel!!!"

            "You…knew…about Draciel?"

            "Of course I knew about Draciel you dimwit."

            Kane was completely shocked. Britt was that shy girl. It wasn't like her to go all spazz-like." [A/N [if you're not Feya you won't understand this] AHH Happy_baby_boy is getting to my brain!!!]

            _Why is she doing this? Is it that thing I don't know about?_ He thought

            _Why is Max acting dumb? _Thought Britt

            "I…don't know what you're talking about."

            "What???"

            "I don't. Really."

            "Thanks, but I really am not buying any of that."

Judy watched with the All-Starz. Then she stood up and decided to take charge. "

            "What's wrong?" asked Emily,

            "Family matters," she muttered.

"Britt, I never told him."

Britt turned to face Judy and Max's dad. 

"You…"

Max eyed the three of them curiously. 

Jazzman was getting impatient. "Let's battle."

Britt looked at him for a second and attached a blade. Max, following her example, did the same. _I better get the full story if I win._ He thought.

In another corner of the stadium, a certain Boris Balkov looked at Britt, at her determination. He snickered. 

"3…2…1…LET IT RIIIP!!!"

They released their blades. "ATTACK" screamed Britt.

Max found it very hard to concentrate. Questions swam in his head. _What is she doing?_ He asked himself.

Britt wasted no time in summoning her bit beast. "DOGLEFOX!" she screamed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            O.O Cliffie!!!! 

PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! I LIKE TO UPDATE OFTEN BUT REALLY IF I DON'T GET REVIEWS I WON'T

Phoenix the 1st: Many authors, if they don't do what I do, will send emails to their reviewers. It's kinda cool. Don't worry. I just found out a month ago what Yaoi was so I'm really slow too. Authors usually have a reason not to update often. If they're successful, then usually it's because they're busy. If they're new then it's because they don't get reviews.

Britt: Okay sorry if I made her look evil I won't kill her or anything maybe the next chapter will be cheesy. Oh and just to tell you I do read other people's reviews for other stories, and so you really think that I'm…like…that good?? I mean I admire her like so much!!! *blushes deep red* tell me if you don't understand

The Tigris: Okay then. Well some parts were made to be confusing but…well…yeah. See ya next time. Oh and as an afterthought, why don't you have fics?? Just wondering since everyone on the site usually has fics and likes writing……

            *Quote*

            Bravery is judged by what you fear. If you fear nothing, you are not brave.

                                                                                    ~ Anonymous 


	11. What really matters?

UniGirl: Well I kinda feel abandoned I noticed people don't review on the weekends…very mysterious…Anyways here's the chapter tell me what you think and read this carefully it tells you a lot…more than it seems to.

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Last time: 

Britt wasted no time in summoning her bit beast. "DOGLEFOX!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Wing crossed her arms, not the least bit impressed. The world of Beyblading had changed since she last visited it as in tournament-wise. She hadn't been "officially" in a tournament for longer than one would have guessed. And things do change. Why hadn't Flame told her what to expect? He had been in for a while…well a few years to be exact. But nowadays Flame never told her anything. She thought he was holding a grudge against her. Wing smiled ever so slightly. She had almost cracked a joke. Sure she was always sarcastic, but she hadn't joked in the last century or so. 

            /Yes Wingy I am holding a grudge against you./ 

            /I see. And may I ask why?/

            /Well you're rude to me, cold to me…/

            /I'm always like that. And you shouldn't be talking. You're not exactly warm and polite./

            /…Not to mention you saved my life once or twice in the last ten years…a record for you./

            /Oh I see. So you hate me because I saved your life./

            /DID YOU HEAR THAT WING JUST CRACKED A JOKE!/ cried Aqua on the top of her lungs.

            /DID YOU HEAR THAT AQUA CAN ACTUALLY TALK!/ screamed Wing back.

            Aqua blushed. One of the reasons she liked picking on Wing was that she never picked on her back.

            /Guys are you even paying attention to the beybattle?/

            /It's boring. Amateurs. I can't believe that junk of a team won world champs./

            /You can't Aqua? Then why didn't you try harder when you were in?/

            /I CANT USE YOU-KNOW-WHAT'S FULL POTENTIAL ANYWAY I HAD THAT GIT OF A BROTHER TO SLOW ME DOWN/

            /He's your brother? That means Black Dranzer's my father./

            /GOSH WING QUIT IT WITH THE SARCASM./

            /JUST SHUT UP YOU TWO!!/ screamed Storm.

            /You're actually watching the beybattle?/ asked Flame, mildly interested.

            /better than watching those two fight./

            /It's amusing./

            /you just like Aqua that's all. She is your cousin./

            /No you're the one with the crush on Aqua./

            /I…What????/

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            "DOGLEFOX ATTACK!!!"

            Max watched as the blade came closer. "DRACIEL" he called to his bit beast and the purple turtle [A/N: Hey I just noticed that! Hint Hint Feya but then he looks ugly…] emerged from the bit chip. "FORTRESS DEFENCE" 

            The fire fox beast collided with the earth tortoise. "DOGLEFOX GO!" screamed Britt.

            Max looked up. She seemed so…demonic. Her shoulder length hair was flying in all directions and her eyes had a wild look to them. She was no longer the timid cousin she knew…over the years she seemed to have turned into something else altogether. He had no memory of her in America when he visited two years ago. She had left somewhere.

            Britt saw the distant look in her cousin's eyes and her anger boiled again. _Why is he thinking of something else when he is supposed to be focused on our _battle_?_ Her mind emphasized the word "Battle."

*******************

            Elsewhere, someone was more than satisfied. _That girl is oh so gullible._ He thought to himself.

*******************

            Doglefox looked into Draciel's eyes and then at a certain man in the crowd. She [Doglefox is female right?] knew it was time.

*****Flashback***** 

[Okay I'm doing this in a bit beast's POV sort of but it's not first person. Am I weird or what?]

            Doglefox hovered over Britt's dead parents. The toddler was just crying and very confused. Doglefox braced herself and dove, but she was never able to slice through the child's heart because at that moment, an elderly woman came down the stairs. She was holding a green blade, spinning in her palm as the light coming from the bit solidified into a turtle beast. Draciel.

*****End Flashback*****

            Draciel knew exactly what was happening. Exactly. He looked at the girl and then at Max. _If only there were a way to save them both_. He thought silently. He would try, but Doglefox was much tougher than normal. Especially with technology backing her up. He had stalled long enough. It was time.

            Time to get my revenge. Doglefox's mouth curved upward just a bit.

            Max and Britt watched as the two bit beasts crashed into each other again and again, without any orders from their masters. 

            They were holding a grudge against each other.

            Britt saw the attack and the end result before it came. "DOGLEFOX STOP!" she pleaded. 

            Doglefox stopped-against her will-she was bound to Britt with the laws of being a bit beast. 

            "Don't worry Doglefox, do whatever you like," said a voice from behind her. Britt turned around to see a hooded figure.

            "B-Boris?" she stammered.

            "Gullible fool." He smirked.

            "You-u you what?"

            "I was never on your side."

            "YOU WHAT???"

            Doglefox cried her war cry and she charged towards Draciel. Max closed his eyes. "DRACIEL!" he shouted. 

            The two ancient enemies closed in on each other and light shone everywhere. 

            Ray knew what was about to happen. "MAX" he called and, stepping up to the stadium, he pushed Max aside.

            That was all they knew before everything was covered in smoke.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Once the smoke cleared, both the bit beasts were gone, and Doglefox's blade was smashed into a million different pieces. Max slowly got up as the camera turned on. The crowd gasped. Draciel was still spinning, no matter how weakly. 

            He looked at his friend on the ground. Ray was unconscious.

            Max was only dimly aware of what had happened when they announced him the winner of the round. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The world was spinning as Britt slowly opened her eyes. "Wh…where am I?"

            "You're okay." 

            Britt waited for her vision to come into focus before she looked up. She couldn't believe it.

            Kane kneeled on the side of her bed. "I was worried about you." 

            Britt rolled over so he couldn't see her blush.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Mr Dickenson walked into the room. "Hey you guys better get ready for your match against Kane, especially you, R…" he stopped abruptly as his gaze fell on the bed in the corner where Ray lay, unconscious.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            YUP THAT'S A CHAPTER GO ME!!! POOR POOR RAY!!! *Puppy pout* So that's three pairings for certain in this fic so far. Aqua/Storm, the obvious Lin/Ray and Kane/Britt. Well, I'm not the type for mush and kissing so don't expect that I might hint at it…no promises. WHERE HAVE ALL MY REVIEWERS GONE???? 

Britt: I LOVE YOU SO MUCH *hugs really tightly* Anyway I hoped you've liked how I did her. I hope you see it the way I do and not…offending. I know it's you as a bb character and really I didn't want to kill you or else I wouldn't get reviews. About the other comment…well you haven't written anything yet so I don't know or maybe you have you could tell me the url…least I can do for what…twelve reviews? Maybe more.

Phoenix the 1st: sorry about cliffies, I can't help them. I luv cliffies at least writing them. So I can't help that. Very sorry. I know some other authors…leave cliffies and that's just a way to make sure the reviewer comes back for the next chapter. So that explains why authors do things they do. Yep Max did win YOU THINK I'D KICK OUT THE MAIN CHARACTERS IN THE FIRST ROUND?????????? I might hate Tyson, but I'm not that mean. I do mean things to my characters though…*smirks evilly* One more thing, I would like say to you that something in the way you write your reviews make me want to respond to them fast. So it is because of you that this chapter is up at this time.  


	12. You've Changed

Okay From now on I'll do a disclaimer/conversation thing, unless it is a very important chapter or I'm lazy. Probably will have a theme of some sort. I feel like doing Lin today. 

Ah wellz

UniGirl: HALFWAY TO A HUNDRED!! YAYZ I LUV YOU ALL!!!! GO REVIEWERS GO GO GO! ^______________________________^   ^___________________________^                     ^_____________________________^

= ^ P

Lin: She's hyper

UniGirl: Of course I am I always am.

Lin: *Glarez*

UniGirl: *glarez back*

Drolcyan: She misses her boyfriend. If I were you, I'd stand…

Lin: SHUT UP YOU PATHETIC…

UniGirl: you can't hide that you have a humongous crush on Ray

Lin: You have a crush on Kai

UniGirl: No I love Kai I have a crush on Ray.

Kai: *sweatdrop* I have quite enough fangirls chasing me. 

Unigirl: Looks over at Ray, still unconscious. 

Lin: WHY I HATE YOU *glarez* 

UniGirl: I wouldn't do that if I were you, Even if I don't own beyblade, I still own you. And so I can torture you. Like make Ray go out with Mariah. Or me. *sighs dreamily*

Lin: *fuming*

Drolcyan: *****fuming*

UniGirl: HA! See I win!

Drolcyan: YOU DON'T! NO ONE DARES…

UniGirl: Shut up Drolcyan you're doing that cuz you've got a crush on Driger that's all

Drolcyan: Well he is hot!

Driger: *sweatdrops then fakes unconsciousness with Ray*

A/N: Unigirl was **very** occupied with homework. Sry.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lin ran over to the teen and shook him. "RAY! RAY!" she called. 

Mr Dickinson looked at them hopelessly. "If Ray doesn't wake up the I'm afraid we'll have to cancel the match."

Tyson ran up to him. "No Mr. D, you can't. Ray's unconscious. It's not his fault. Please let one of us…"

Max stood up, then sat down. _It's all my fault,_ he thought. _If it weren't for me not being such a klutz, then Ray would have been fine. We're going to get kicked out of the tournament for sure now. All because of me. _He put his head down in his knees.

Tyson was getting furious. _This is not fair. NOT FAIR! _He thought. 

Hilary dragged Tyson off before he could hurt Mr. Dickinson. 

Kenny was the most reasonable. "Mr Dickinson, is there any chance that the judges would allow Tyson to battle instead of Ray?" he asked

Tyson snapped his head up, and so did Max.

"Yes, but very slim. If the Psychics agree, then just maybe we could allow it." He thought for a moment.

Then, as if right on cue, there was a knock on the door, and Kane walked in.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            In the corner of the dome, two girls were conversing. They both had the same long blue hair. They both had the same slim body and structure. One had green eyes and the other sunglasses. One had a bandana and the other none. They were on opposing teams, and if anyone were to find out they were together, both captains would be angry. Well, one. The other would be pleased. Sort of. 

            It was Aqua's greatest plan yet. Even Wing was pleased. And pleasing Wing was as easy as jumping off the suspension bridge and surviving. 

            "Everything going fine?"

            "Yeah."

            "Oz…"

            "no contact with the other mages yet."

            "Make sure it stays that way. We can't have them get together before we're ready."

"Right."

"Good."

With that, Aqua walked off. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            "You sure Kane?" asked Mr. Dickinson

            "Really. I was looking for a fair battle with Tyson anyway."

            "Fine. I'll go ask the judges."

            Just then, Judy came in. "Hey Max."

            "Hi mum."

            "someone wants to talk to you. Follow me."

            Judy went and took Max into the hospital wing as Tyson shouted, "Be back in fifteen minutes."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Max sat on the chair beside the bed.

            "I feel I owe you an explanation…" she said

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Max came out of the wing later, in time for Tyson's match with Kane. He took his seat beside his team, dimly aware of his surroundings. He now knew, but he was still confused. He wanted to know the cause of it all. He longed for the days when he thought Beyblade was just a game. _Where's Kai when you need him?_ He thought to himself. _He was the one who knew about Blading being more than a game. Maybe I'll go ask Ray, Maybe he knows. Or those mysterious figures that are sometimes with him._

******Flashback*****

"Hey Kai. Where are you going?"

            "Out."

            "Oh that tells us a lot."

            "…"

            "Kai, how come you keep closing yourself in? We mean no harm."

            "Not you"

            "Boris?"

            "Look. You guys walk around and act as if beyblade was a game."

            "But…"

            "That's what you don't know. It isn't."

            "But…"

            but he was gone already. 

*****End Flashback*****

            _Maybe Britt knew. That's why she refused to take up blading. But what is so dangerous about it? We all are bladers. What do we not know? I still don't understand what happened to her. She changed all of a sudden. It's like she's a different person now. _

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            A large cheer erupted from the beystadium and shook Max to his senses. Tyson bounded up to him. 

            "DID YOU SEE THAT?" 

            "Oh congratulations."

            "Ty, don't bother him."

            "Yeah he's very depressed." Kane came up and shook hands with Tyson.

            "Hey Maxie."

            "Hey Ty." Then he walked off.

            "Do you think he's got the Kai bug?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            "What do you think, Drig?"

            "Well I talked to Draciel and he said that…" he broke off and entered his bit chip. 

Max walked into the room, looking at his feet.

            "Oh Ray, how are you?"

            "I'm fine. What happened to the battle?"

            "Tyson did it for you."

            Ray relaxed a bit.

            "So what happened after I blanked out."

            "The smoke cleared, and Draciel won. But you knew that already, didn't you."

            Ray nodded sheepishly. 

            "You're actually a very good actor."

            "Not as good as a few people."           

            "What about Driger? Is there any chance of fixing the blade?"

            "No, Salima crushed it into bits. But I'll ask Yaleri if he comes round. He gave me the base last time."

            "Oh, that's how you get the coolest parts." He smiled a bit, and then, "I wish I could talk to Draciel."

            "No, you wouldn't."

            "Why?"

            "For the longest time, I was working with them, without knowing who they are. But that's not the hardest part."

            "What is?"

            "The bit beasts."

            "Do you know the bit beasts' secret?"

            "Driger never told me. But I think we'll find out. Anyway, Lin's coming."

Lin walked into the room.

            "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" she ran and pounced on him.

            Drolcyan came out of her bit chip. "I told you she had a crush on you."

            Ray sweatdropped.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Boris was at the Japanese Headquarters of BioVolt. Voltaire sat on the chair in front of him.

            "Any sign of her, Boris?"

            "No. Caroline seems to have disappeared."

            "What of the new team?"

            "We still can't find anything."

            "Very well. What of Tala? And Kai?"

            "Nowhere."

            "Where have you looked?" 

            "In the tournament."

            "Look harder. I hear the Demolition Boys are battling in the next round."

            "Yes."

            "Don't fail me, Boris."

            He walked away, then stopped.

            "You remember Marina?"

            "Yes. Cousin to Carol. The only two girls ever in BioVolt. How can I forget?"

            "Hm…Look for her too. Be careful. If she was able to run out of BioVolt at the age of ten, then she is clever. She may have changed this past six years."

            "Yes sir."

            He walked out of the room, leaving Boris.

            Boris paced around the office once, and sat at the computer. He typed in his password and began to access the files.

            In one shadowy corner, two mahogany eyes watched him. A cruel smirk appeared on his [very cute, I might add] face. He kept on watching Boris until he went out of the room. Then he sat at the computer and put his blade down in front of him. It was a blue blade, with a bit beast in the middle. A red bit beast. A phoenix.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! *glompz that cute person we all know* He learned how to spy really really well. *dreamy eyes* you'll probably kill me for ending it there. MWAHAHAHAHA!!! I'm evil I know. Oh…Like Kai and Tala, Carol and Marina have a big impact on this fic except that they don't come out till…much later. YAYZ REVIEWZ!!!

IVE HAD A TON OF HOMEWORK FORGIVE ME!

X.x SCHOOL STINKS

            Phoenix the 1st: You do. Huh. So you like the end? GO KAILUVERS!! I'm very busy and I'm proud of myself getting it done.

            Britt: That was cute. I think. But I can't write good romance. Don't kill me my Microsoft word broke down so yeah.

            Shadow: I HATE TYSON! GO TYSON HATERS!!

            Nessi: Did you get my email? Or did the thing filter it out? That's hotmail. Okay. I was thinking of using Draco but if I can change the element. That's wut I wanted to say in the email. GO KAI!! [no you're not supposed to understand what happened to him through this.]

            The Tigris: Oh well, I've got a tun of ideas 2. Except I can only handle one at a time. Like this. I don't think I'll be working on my other fic until I get this done. Really. I can't concentrate on two things at a time. And then I wanted to do a Tyson fic, *dreamily smiles* Too much things to do.

*Quote* 

            "Where are you? The one I know?"

                                                ~ Inuyasha, asking for "his" Kikyo.

A/N: This quote is from Inuyasha, [well of course.] and I thought it goes well with this chapter. Well the Max/Britt part. It ends "My…Kikyo." Except that I don't like that part since I HATE KIKYO WITH ALL MY LIFE!! And that had nothing to do with this. 

I'll try to put quotes at the end of my chapters relating to the chapter. So if you have a good one, then you can tell me, and I'll put it on. It will also be good inspiration for me. 


	13. As Is

UniGirl: Okay first sorry for not updating. I  wasn't busy. I need to be kinda busy and kinda not and I need to use the comp since mum aint know I got an account. Hehe. Shell probably kill me is she finds out. Also Fanfiction.net wasn't working properly last weekend and I didn't see any reviews and reviews are inspiration. That's all. 

Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade Sorry I don't feel like writing a big long conversation.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Wing stood out in the balcony and listened as the wind blew through her hair. It was night. A warm night with the cool ocean breeze. The stars winked on and off, singing their marvellous song. Tonight, she was happy. Happier than she had been for a long time. The full moon was high in the sky. A full moon was when she was at her greatest power. She had refused to see anyone tonight so no one could see the transformation that occurred. Even without the sparkle of wisdom and knowledge visible in her eyes, she looked different. Older and more powerful. 

            Aqua walked out. Her voice in Wing's head flowed with the swiftness and smoothness of water.

            /Such a beautiful night./

            /Yes./

            /What if the world were like this all the time?/

            /That would be splendid./

            /But impossible./ 

            /Yes. Impossible./

            /The moon is so bright./

            /Too bright. She is bothering me./

            /But what could be wrong?/

            /I don't know./

            Flame walked out with them. /I bring grave news./

            /From…?/

            /I discovered they…they have found them./

            /Who?/

            /Th…them. All four of them./

            Wing's face darkened.

            /Nonsense Flame, they couldn't have. Or else we would know by now./

            Flame jumped back at Aqua's remark.

            /Flame, you worry too much,/ she continued

            /He has a reason to be worried./ Said Wing.

            /It's okay, Li…/ he broke off when Wing glared. It was weird that all of them had the power to glare, even without eyes.

            /Wing./ He quickly corrected himself.

            /You better not make a slip or something of a sort. Or else. Now what was that? _Flame_?/ she emphasized the last word.

            /It's okay. I do think I worry too much./ then he went inside, followed by Aqua

            Wing looked out to the moon before she went in, and for a split second, she was sure she heard a blood curdling scream. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Draciel finished explaining the problem with Doglefox. All of them watched and listened with their jaws slightly dropped. 

            "It's a pity even Max doesn't know this. I mean, you are his bit beast."

            "Yeah I guess. But no one else can understand the Levinari" [lev-NAR-ie  the language they're speaking but I've changed it into English to make all of your lives easier for all of you]

            Kane turned around. "look at the moon."

            "It's so pretty."

            "Helenia always valued the moon."

            "It's weird. How of the four Guardians, three seem to be the main elements."

            "And Wind's left out."

            "You see, anything that is fire type cannot be water or earth. Anything that's water cannot be fire or earth, and anything that's earth cannot be water or fire. But something with the element of Air can be all of these."

            "Right. You mean like flying bodies."

            "Exactly. But it seems Eltila is the one that…started all this."

            "but if she didn't fit in, then what?"

            "She seems so different. We all know her."

            "Not only that, look at her bit beast."

            Everyone turned

            "She blades?"

            "What?"

            "Well, I asked Kariey and he didn't respond. You've seen her bit beast? Eltila's?

            "Y-Yes."

            "What's it like?"

            "I'm not sure…"

            "huh?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

             A steady stream of light shone through the blinds as Oliver got up. _C'est beau._ He thought. He was French, and a Parisan, but, he had no French accent and an American accent whenever he spoke French. [Okay had to add that in.]

            Enrique walked in. "Morning," he said with a yawn.

            "Morning."

            The Majestics and the Demolition Boys were never on each other's good sides. Probably the only person to see the good side of one of the Demolition Boys would be Tyson. Except that boy wasn't on the team anymore. 

            Inside the changing room, Robert was giving the team a pre match pep talk. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            "LADIES AND GENTS!!!!! WELCOME TO THE THIRD ROUND OF THE QUARTERFINALS OF THE WORLD CUP HERE IN JAPAN!"

            "LET ME INTRODUCE DJ JAZZMAN!!" 

            "Okay we're going to have an exciting battle. First, on this side, the Majestics!" the crowd erupted into cheers.

            "Aaaand here we have the imfamous Demolition Boys."

            Everyone was deathly still. The demolition Boys didn't have the best reputation. 

            "It's time to pick the pairings."

            One by one the pairings showed up on the screen.

            Spencer vs. Johnny

            Bryan vs. Oliver

            Bryan vs. Robert. 

            "Okay I'm your commentator Brad Best, pleased to be working with my comrade AJ Topper!"

            "Thanks Brad. Now let's see our first contestant's stats"

            "Spencer is known for his ruthlessness in battle, enhanced by his ancient bit beast Seaborg."

            "And here comes hot headed Johnny, [I like that] and his fiery bit beast Samalyon."

            "And they're setting their launchers…3…2…1…LET IT RIP!"

            "Well I think they want to finish this quickly."

            Tomas stifled a yawn. _Things are so boring around here. Add to that the fact that Boris won't let me blade. _He took out a black blade. _And that I was not supposed to see anyone. Anyway I don't even think that Hiwatari git is here. Not as if I'd care. World Champion, Hmph. But Boris is convinced that they _need _him in BioVolt. For what? For him to blow it up like he did last time? And he won't let me give my opinion. About Marina. That STUPID girl. It's not like she's the powerful one. Even though Boris thinks so. Except for the fact that she hit me on the face once and got complimented for it. But things happen. Like for the fact that Voltaire TOTALLY favours those girls and have sent about a million rescue teams for them. Wait. I don't use sarcasm. Sarcasm is weak. Sarcasm is not the language of a soldier. _

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Storm watched the Demolition Boys, mildly interested. Just mildly. Wing was kind of disgusted that he insisted. But he did. And Aqua had insisted to tag along. She was very stubborn. He watched as Spencer sent Johnny's blade out of the dish. Using typical predictable tactics. But not as bad as the opponent. _I'd bet that Ian could beat him quicker. And that's saying something._ He thought. 

            He heard rustling behind him. 

            /Flame?/

            /Who else would it be. Wing?/

            /I wouldn't do that if I were you, Aqua. So what?/

            /Wing's asked that the whole team's together for a practice. Before the beybattle./

            /As if we'll ever need it./

            /Right, but you know how Wing is./

            /Yes I do./

            /Demolition Boys gotten any better?/

            /Worse, you mean./

            /That Tomas guy bothers me./

            /Guy. Nice vocabulary Flame./

            /Forget I said that./

            /Why do you have to be on Wing's side?/

            /Because./

            The three of them walked into the changing rooms. 

            /Right. Took you long enough./

            /Really?/

            /Wing's idea of a long time would be thirty seconds./

            /We can't fly./

            /If you could, I'd be disgraced./

            Fifteen minutes later, the four Celestials walked out onto the Beystadium to face their opponents. The All-Starz. 

            Back in the changing room, Tomas' blade glowed red, and outside, Flame's did the same.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I'm DONE THIS CHAPTER!

Celestials get to beybattle next time. YAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!

Don't get your hopes up. Oh and Kai sorta disappeared. I know what happened but you don't! MWAHAHAHAHA. The next time he appears will be…before the final round. Meaning you've got about ten chapters to wait! Might be less if I feel nice.

REVIEWS! COOKIES TO ALL NICE REVIEWERS! DEATH TO ALL POPUPS!

Demon's-gurl: Celestials beybattle next chapter. Don't get your hopes up though. Or else you'll hate me forever. U put me on your favorites! YOU ACTUALLY LIKE THIS THAT MUCH? I'M HONORED!! Oh and I ended it there because…I wanted to…

The Tigris: I've dedicated my life to hating Kikyo. Yeah. DIE ALL HOMEWORK!!!!!!!!

Britt: Thanx. Microsoft Word is evil. Really evil.

Phoenix the 1st: Kai's taken a nap. And the UniGirl can't write long chapters though she tries. And I know you're gonna scream at me for taking so long.

Nessi: I know I'm mean. But if you hated me for that then you'll hate me even more when. Oops sorry let myself slip. I wanted Draco to be an Earth element and give him to Storm. Is that okay? No Storm's not that bad. Really. 

Tomgirl27: That's why you memorize the site! There would be cameras in BioVolt but then would Boris have a camera in his private workroom? Would he want Voltaire knowing everything he does? No. So he's got bodyguards and cameras outside, but inside, there's nothing. Perfect for our little Kaister.


	14. Everyone has their faults

UniGirl: *glompz all reviewerz* LUVZ YA ALL! GO REVIEWZ!!!!!!! *hands out goody bags* 

Lin: She's hyper today. 

Dizzi: is it just a bad case of Déjà vu or have I heard that before?

Kenny: It's not you.

UniGirl: So here's a new chapter how do you like it?

Tyson: *takes peek* it stinks

UniGirl: ;_;

Tyson: HA! ^___^

UniGirl: WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO MEAN TO ME?

Tyson: Because someone has to do it.

UniGirl: Okay Fine! Fine! *storms off blushing*

Everyone: *stares at Tyson.*

Tyson: What?

Everyone: *continues staring*

Ray: You owe her an apology

Tyson: Why?

Ray: At least do the disclaimer for her.

Tyson: Why?

Ray: I'm waiting…

Lin: WHY DO YOU STAND UP FOR HER???????

Ray: O.o

Tyson: *crosses arms and pouts*

Max: Just get it over with

Tyson: FINE. UNIGIRL DOES NOT OWN BEYBLADE! THERE!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            "Alright Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the final match of the quarterfinals. Our current standings:

            The teams that have made it to the semi-finals are the Saint Shields, the Blade Breakers and the Demolition Boys. Now it's time to find out who the last team will be. Will it be the All Starz? Or the Celestials?"

            "Judy?"

            "Yes Emily."

            "What do we know about these people?"

            "…"

            "What?"

            "…n-nothing."

            "WHAT?"

            "Nothing."

            "But…our data is supposed to be…"

            "Complete. Only this team is new. I've never heard of it before."

            "Really? Then what's our battle plan?"

            "Start first. I'll be able to figure it out."

            The judges picked the pairings, and their pictures appeared on the screen.

            Flame vs. Steven

            Aqua vs. Emily

            Wing vs. Michael

            /How good, exactly, are these people Storm?/

            /Pathetic./

            /Pathetic is an understatement./ 

            /Yeah. Listen to Flame. He knows the meaning of "pathetic" best. Since that's what he is./

            /Right./

            /FLAME'S BEING SARCASTIC AGAIN!!!/

            /Aqua you're supposed to be beybattling. Focus on the battle./

            /Wing, I really don't have time for this./

            /Aqua, I really don't have time for this./

            /WING!/

            /Just shut up with it you two./ 

            /Flame. Go beybattle./

            /Like that's going to be hard or anything./

            /Just go./

            /Why do you have to be so mean to him?/

            Flame stepped up to the stadium and a flicker of a smirk appeared on his face as Steve did the same. He held out his launcher. It was a simple white one. His blade, however, was much more intricate. Its base was plain, but its attack ring was spiked in a curved fashion, painted red in places. He held it up to his face and moved into a battle stance. 

            "3…2…1…LET IT RIP!"

            "Attack!"

            "Attack!"

            And both blades flew at each other, gnawing. 

            "Well both of them obviously want to end this quickly."

            "There's no doubt there," whispered Ray.

            "Yeah. It's like they're here to settle a lifelong grudge."

            "I don't think so. I've talked to Flame once…"

            "You have?"

            "Nothing big. But he seemed the type to finish his opponents off quickly."

            "You better believe it. He's done with the toying."

            Indeed Flame was. He already found this a waste of time. "FINAL ATTACK!" his blade spun rapidly on the axis and hit Steve's, smashing it into pieces.

            The blade flew back to him. /That. Was boring./

            /yeah right./

            /I'm serious. Besides you're just jealous./

            /Really?/

            /Yeah. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm leaving./ he walked out of the stadium in which a small round applause rang. Most of the people were still too shocked.

            "Well we know one thing about him. He sure needs a lesson on teamwork."

            Aqua stood up, speaking out loud. "Will we proceed or what?"

            "Right. The first battle goes to the Celestials. The next battle will begin in ten minutes."

            Judy ran out to her team. "Are you okay?"

            "yeah," Steven grunted. "I'm fine."

            "Good."

            "That kid's unpredictable."

            "That kid's unpredictable," said Dizzi. 

            "Huh?"

            "Not only did he blade very well, I couldn't collect much data on him."

            "What?"

            "Yeah."

            "I don't get how a team like this would appear out of nowhere."

            "Me neither."

            "Do you have any pictures of the blade Dizzi?"

            "They're all very blurry. And none that show it alone. It's always either attacking, or moving, or just plain invisible."

            "Just plain invisible?"

            "Figure of speech, Tyson."

            "Really you're such a dumbo."

            "Who are you calling dumb?"

            "Sorry already, don't need to get all worked up about it."

            "Worked up? Me?"

            Hilary couldn't help but sweatdrop. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            /Everyone's talking about us./

            /is that a good thing or a bad thing?/

            /Depends on how you look at it./

            /can you give me a straight answer?/

            /no./

            The doorknob turned and a boy walked in. 

            "Why are you here?" Wing asked the boy.

            "Oh." He looked from one Celestial to another. "Sorry. Wrong door. I think I lost track of where I was going."

            /Is he always like that?/ Wing asked Aqua.

            /He usually isn't. Except I got kind of surprised he even knows how to use a door./

            /Yea he's always mistaking it with the roof./

            /Right./ Wing rolled her eyes underneath the dark lenses.

            /you know how to roll your eyes?/

            /You're not supposed to know I did that./

            /So-rry missy./

            /No Flame, it's "High Mistress."/

            /Why don't you shut up Aqua. Besides we need to get to our Beybattle now./

            /Right./

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            "Okay Emily."

            "You're brilliant Judy. I don't believe we're actually going to win. I wouldn't have thought of that."

            "It's okay."

            She walked up onto the stadium to face the navy haired Aqua. 

            "You might have pulled off a win in the first round, but you won't this time."

            Aqua just smirked. "Well you'll have to back it up."

            "My pleasure." _Besides, Judy upgraded Trygator. Even rearranged the whole blade.  After she wears out by trying to end this quickly, I'll make my move._

            "Let it rip!" The two blades flew into the stadium.

            _C'mon, attack me._ Emily urged silently. 

            Aqua almost smiled. Emily was the impatient type. Her? Her strategy was different from Flame's. Very different. She sent her blade into the middle of the stadium, while Emily's circled from outside.

            _Why isn't she attacking me?_ Asked Emily to herself. 

            Aqua looked at Emily, puzzled. It was typical for her opponents to make the first move. Well, you can't have everything in life. She would aggravate her. Then, when Emily attacked, she would finish her off. 

            Emily was puzzled. She had assumed all the Celestials were the same. She was about to order Trygator to attack when,

            "Attack." Aqua ordered, and her blue blade headed straight for Emily's.

            Emily snickered silently. This was too easy. 

            Taking her years of training to the test, Aqua scraped Emily's attack ring, and, even though it did little damage, Emily wasn't able to activate her counter attack. 

            _She's toying with me._ Emily got ready to summon her alligator bit beast. 

            Judy saw what was coming. "Emily don't." she warned.

            It was too late. "Trygator attack!"

            Aqua smiled as the blade closed in. _Time to show her what a real blader's like._ "Counter!" 

            The blue blade spun fiercely on its axis and Trygator bounced off it. "Attack!" ordered Aqua.

            "Attack"

            The two blades hit, sending sparks all over the stadium. Once the view was clear again, one could just make out a fallen blade. The blue one. Trygator spun for about five seconds weakly, and, too, fell. 

            Wing stood up and kicked Aqua's shins as she fell to her knees. Jazzman announced the All-Starz the winner. Wing then shot one hard glare at Michael before she walked out of the stadium, followed by Flame, then Storm, and finally Aqua.

            "Wait." Emily called after her. She did not look back, but at the floor.

            "She bladed really well." 

            "Yeah you just lucked out Emily."

            "What??"

            "You just lucked out."

            "Michael…I'd like to see you beat that Wing girl."

            "My pleasure."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Aqua punched the wall in fury. _Why didn't I win? Everything was going just as planned…if I had only held on for five more seconds…_

            Wing's voice drifted into her mind, so cold that anyone could have been turned to ice by the sound of it.            /You failed. I don't care how you did it. But you failed./

            /Wing…please…/

            /You haven't known me for long enough? You know I am not forgiving./

            /Wing…/

            /I can't send you out. We have no replacement. But mark my words: If you do that again, I will not let it pass as easily./

            /Thank you./ Aqua turned to face her, which was very hard to do. The boys retreated to a corner. 

            Storm actually felt sorry for Michael. No doubt his Trygle would get smashed into pieces five seconds into the match. Never cross Wing. Whoever did would suffer dire consequences. The thing was, Wing wasn't easily cross. But when she was, things got ugly. She was deathly calm.

            /Doesn't mean that I'll let you go without anything./ She took out her blade and held it up. 

            /No…/ Aqua's quivering voice was barely a whisper. /Anything but that./

            Wing ignored her. She attached the blade to her rip cord and pulled. She called on the blade and it glowed. Her bit beast appeared then, a white bird with black tipped wings. 

            Aqua cowered.

            Wing looked up to the bird and gave the slightest of a nod. It dove at the shaking teen. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The crowd sat in silence as the Celestials walked out of the stadium. Then a buzz of conversation started.

            "Wing reminds me of someone."

            "Who?"

            "Remember Chief? When we were just at the beginning? She reminds me of Kai."

            "Yeah. When Carlos lost to you."

            "Hm…"

            "Talk about respect for team mates."

            "Not like it's the first team we've seen with that problem."

            "True."

            "Well, look here they come now."

            The four teens walked into the stadium. They all looked like nothing had happened. 

            Aqua had forced herself to pick up and stand perfectly normal and straight. _Wing sure has many different personalities. _Her mind drifted off to when the two of them first got together.

*****flashback*****

/Wing!/

/Hey Aqua./

/Having a great time?/

            /Really great./

            /Right./

            They walked in silence until the bus stopped at the pond beside the house.

            /It's been so long./

            /Yeah it has./

            /I kind of miss them./

            Wing paused for a moment. /Me too./ she remarked thoughtfully.

            /What's with the glasses?/

            /I was never fond of colour contacts./

            Aqua smiled briefly. 

            /So you're getting some too./

            /What??/

            /The alternative is contact lenses./

            /I'll pass./

            /You have to. Or else./

            /What?/

            /You don't want to know. Trust me./

*****End Flashback*****

            Since when had Wing gone all cold? 

            /Since always Aqua./

            /Stop it./

            /You're not really in the position to make requests./

            /Chill out Aqua. Wing, just stop it. You do have a beybattle to fight./

            /Right./

To the crowd, they were waiting. Wing finally stood up and walked to the stadium as Jazzman stepped up. 

            "Right let's see the stats. For the Celestials, we have the team leader Wing." For the All Starz, welcome Michael."

            The crowd burst into applause as he skydived into the stadium. Wing smirked. _Show off._ She thought. 

            "So ready to get crushed?"

            "No." she replied simply.

            "Huh?"

            "Can't get it through that overlarge ego of yours?"

            "You're just jealous."

            "Whatever." She took out her launcher.

            "Let it rip!" 

            Wing's temper, though she looked calm, was deadly. Now some of the crowd understood why she had only kicked Aqua's shins. Her blade showed all of her anger and determination to get through the round.

            "Trygle attack!" screamed Michael.

            "Attack!" ordered Wing. 

            The golden eagle bit beast emerged from the chip and Wing recognised it right away. Of course. Who else? Emily…never in this century. Eddy and Steve…Why they had no personality, no team spirit, nothing. Michael…at least he had an ego. 

            Wing smirked again. _Ready to get crushed?_ She asked silently. As if her blade had heard her, it streaked the stadium and sliced everything in its path. Namely Trygle. Even though she did not summon her bit beast, it seemed to be in effect as the blade smashed into pieces and landed in the beystadium. 

            Everyone was speechless.

            As if that weren't enough, Wing's blade flew around, paying no attention to what it had learned in physics class, and sent all the pieces flying at Michael, hitting him in different places, scattering them all around the outside of the stadium. Finally it was done, and Wing had nothing more to take her anger and lust for revenge on. She stretched out her hand and it flew back to her while the crowd applauded out of courtesy. 

            Tyson ran out Michael and Max to Judy. 

            "We…lost."

            "Don't worry Michael. We'll get them back for it. Heard that guys?" he called out to the exciting teens. "You won't get away with dirty tricks like that."

            The Celestials didn't respond. 

            "You played well. That's all that matters." Another voice carried in.

            "Thanks Britt."

            "There's more to these Celestials than it seems."

            "We know."

            "I'm unsure of which side they're on."

            "I wouldn't be surprised if they're working for BioVolt or something."

            "Who knows? Maybe they are."

[Tyson narrating]

            So now we're in the semi finals with the  Saint Shields, the Demolition Boys, and these Celestials. Sure these Celestials talk and act tough, but our teamwork and determination will lead us to defend our title. We are the world champions after all.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Phew. My longest chapter yet. Reason? Don't know really. There's a lot of plot development in here and if you reread it a few times you might find some clues. Oh and during the spring break I will go and reedit all my chapters…probably not many big changes but just so you know. For the reviews ^_____^ 

Hong: *glompz* I thought you abandoned me!! I'm not saying you suggested that pairing. I really am not. I'm just making sure you know what I'm talking about. Btw things that are in capital doesn't mean I'm screaming at you. I use capital letters because its easier than italics. I'm not upset. I'm really glad you reviewed!

Phoenix the 1st: Well…I'm glad you're not angry. Is this a long enough chapter??? I really hope so…ah wellz Its because I get really angry at some authors who don't update for like ever and yeah…It does happen. I don't think I'll update as often once we get into april since yes, hwk. Game? My computers really slow…perfect for fanfiction.net but bad for everything else.

Tomgirl27: Memorize the site I gave you. It helps. I've never seen season 1 and I still haven't gotten a flame for oocness. Well that's because my reviewers are nice. My characters are kinda ooc. That's what I think at least. And I really don't know what you're talking about so don't rant on anything other than something you know I know or else…I won't understand. I like rants. 

UniGirl: Tomas, Sarcasm is necessary.

Tomas: hmph

UniGirl: See? I tried.

Tomas: Shut up.

Unigirl: T_T

The Tigris: I don't know. No one in their right mind invented homework. But I prefer homework over 1 midterm and 1 final. Just because then if you flunk you won't fail. But not heaps. I'm looking forward to the fic

Demon's-gurl: Care to elaborate? What do you want to know. Oh and if you get excited over these be forewarned that UniGirl is extremely evil and will make eviller cliffies. I like cliffies in the middle of Kai scenes…hehe 

Britt: Thanks!!! I'm officially allowed on the site now…I know I cheated before…well that's wut you get for stupid addictions that your FRIEND introduces and now she complains about me ranting on about ff.net. Stupid.

*Quote*

            I thought you were the best. Guess I thought wrong.

                                                                                    ~Ozuma, to Tyson.

Send in your quotes! I sound like a cheesy advertiser I know. Anyway also you can send me Emails whenever you want. I love emails. Just no forewards please it only fills my inbox. [At this time Feya coughs really loudly]


	15. Puzzling thoughts

UniGirl: *waves* THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS COOKIES ANYONE???????? I was wondering if you like me to update like as often as now with a long chapter or really often with a short chapter. I've gone and reedited the first few chapters, added a Tyson/Ray/Lin scene and stuff like that. No major big changes though. So if you want to reread the first two chapters go ahead. I've combined some chapters together and will probably do the same with some others. So yeah. Sorry to get you panicky. Maybe by the end of spring break there will be like ten chapters. Yeah so don't spazz.

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            "I'm going to bed Ozuma."

            "Night Mariam."

            "Night."

            Ozuma looked out from the balcony of the Saint Shield's apartment. The stars were twinkling and there was a warm ocean draft. He stood out there for a long time, and then went inside to make sure everyone was asleep. When he went outside again, he took Flash Leopard with him, and reached underneath his shirt to reveal a hidden jewel, a roan colour. 

            He heard something stir behind him. 

            "Ozuma."

            "Kariey." He turned around to face the tall boy. He had seen three of the Guardians. Which was a lot. Usually many only got to see Eltila, and maybe their own once in a while. Even though they all shared a same thing, the Guardians were all different. As in the feeling you got from their appearances. You could tell if someone was a snob by looking at them. It was that case here. Kariey was unlike Eltila, whose flowing white robes, translucent silk shawls and pale skin made her look very fragile, graceful, wise and mysterious. Helenia wore a small circlet and her tight top and loose pants made her look timid and cowardly, needing protection. It was her strategy to make her opponents underestimate her, and then strike with surprising speed and power when the time was ready. Kariey, was a different story. His hair was a dark red, looking even like it was died with blood itself. His black top, pants, and boots along with his red straps and brown belt blended right in with his white skin. There was only one word to describe it all: Power. Even though all four were powerful, Kariey was the only one he had seen which showed the power out. He was intimidating. 

            The Mages had gathered. Ozuma knew that. But something refrained him from joining them. Whether it be Kariey or even his Flash Leopard, he didn't go. 

            "What's up?"

            "They usual."

            "The Celestials beybattled today."

            "Oh were they good?"

            "Very. But I need to see it for myself. When will you be there?"

            "The tournament?"

            "Yeah."

            "Eltila disapproves of tournaments."

            "Oh. Why?"

            "Blading has deteriorated. The standards have dropped over time."

            "Really?"

            "We've been blading for a long time. I remember when, a long time ago, there were solo tournaments. Eltila used to win every single one."

            "Really? Then how come you four never actually beybattled as a team?"

            "You know why."

            "Yeah I guess. So I wanted to ask you about the Celestials."

            "What?"

            "Are you related to any of them"

            Kariey looked very disturbed. "Why would you ask that?"

            "Wondering. So yes or no?"

            "No."

            "Thank you."

            "How come you haven't gone and seen the other Mages yet?"

            "Because."

            "Right."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            _Everything's okay…for now_ Wing thought as felt the ice cold water drip down her hair. Many thought her weird, but in truth, Wing liked bathing in icy cold water, unlike Flame, who scorched his skin in the showers. Her hair was down and her dye had washed off, leaving her very pale looking. She turned the tap off and stepped into the tile floor. She looked at right arm. It was badly scarred. Many were thin, some were thicker. They would all stay with her forever. The one and only reason why Wing never went swimming. She dressed quickly and walked into the room. 

            Aqua was reading as usual. /Wing, you know you freak me out with white hair./

            /Sorry Aqua./

            The whiteness of Wing's hair was different from the facileness of the elderly. It was different from the white of snow. It was thick, and in dim light one could make out that it had a touch of blue. 

            /So ready for the semifinals?/

            /Um what do you think?/

            /Let me guess, not ready?/

            /Why don't you shut that overlarge mouth of yours?/

            /Why should I?/

            /Because./ she took out her blade again and Aqua immediately shut up.

            /How can you do that?/ asked Storm from the other room.

            /Talent./

            /Yeah right. It just runs in the family./

            /I'M FAMILY TOO./

            /Flame…tut tut tut. I'm surprised you know how to use the word "family."/

            /You shouldn't be talking Wing./

            /I think it's pretty safe to say we all shouldn't./

            /Storm, you're the sensible one. That's a surprise./

            /He's always sensible. It's just that Wing's usually sensibler./

            /Is that even a word?/

            /No./

            /We're going to start training./

            /When?/

            /What about right now Aqua?/

            /STORM!/

            /What?/

            /We don't even need to train./

            /Oh really?/

            /Oh I just remembered that all the teams were having tea…I think./

            /Do we all need to be there?/

            /They would like us to./

            /Right. Then what are we waiting for?/

            /THE TRAINING OF COURSE./

            /Nice going there Wing. Ruin the fun for all of us./

            /You go Aqua./

            /No./

            /Let's just all go./

            /Storm? What happened to you?/

            /Nothing. I just don't feel like training right now./

            /Fine./

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The Bladebreakers were in the café with the All-Starz and the Psychics. The White Tigers had gone home and Lin had received more than one or even twenty hate letters, all written in Chinese. The Majestics were going to come but the Bladebreakers weren't sure. The Saint Shields were supposed to come. Kenny was too afraid of the Demolition Boys so they dropped that idea, though they had considered asking the Celestials. They did, actually, and whether they said yes or no, no one knew.

            "Morning Tyson." 

            "Oh hi Ozuma. Anything to eat?"

            "Tyson I told you to wait till everybody is here."

            "I think everybody is."

            "You forgot the Celestials."

            "Them? Would they ever come?"

            "Of course we would." Aqua walked in. 

            "Oh hi."

            "Good morning. Now what do you want?"

            "Sheesh. Let's get something to eat first."

            "Fine just don't let Tyson order first." Said Storm from behind her.

            "How did you know I ate a lot?"

            "Just look at the waistline."

            "Have a seat you four."

            They took a seat. Emily was the only All-Star that had the guts to speak out.

            "Spill the beans. Why did you do that?"

            "What?"           

            "Get all rough at Michael. What did you do that for?"

            "Shut up Emily. I don't need a _girl_ to stand up for me."

            "Funny seeing how badly you were beaten by a girl." Mocked Aqua.

            "Yes. Why did you have to smash Trygle into bits like that?"

            Wing shrugged. "Battle style, I guess."

            Everyone flinched.

            "Why?" demanded Tyson

            "Why do you want to know?" she shot back.

            "Because you've got the wrong sense of what Blading is."

            "I'd rather you not lecture me. I've been doing it for longer than you have. Trust me." Wing's voice turned into ice again. 

            "But it's about making friends. It's just a game. It's about having fun. It's about working as a team."

            "Maybe you have these reasons to fight for. Now listen to mine: I fight because my life depends on it." 

            "Where are you going?" asked Aqua

            "I need to sort something out." The tone in Wing's voice told everyone she wasn't going to give out ice cream. 

            "Huh?"

            "What's it to you? Anyway Storm I need to talk to you. Flame, keep an eye on Aqua. I know it's humiliating but you know how she can get hyper."

            Flame nodded, and unknown to the rest, he asked, /Yeah except that Storm would much rather be doing that./

            /Hey./

            /Look I have something serious to do with Storm./

            /We all know what it is./

            "And?" Flame asked

            "And if she lets anything slip, _deal with it._"  With that, Wing went out the door, and Storm followed.

            "Sheesh she can have a temper can't she?"

            "Ignore her." Said Aqua.

            "How can you stand her?"

            "We can't."

            "So what did she mean when she said her life depends on her beyblade battles?"

            /Aqua, be careful./ said Flame.

            /Alright. I know how important this is./

            /You better./

            "Well she does like to exaggerate when she talks. It's perfectly normal."

            "Hey let's eat." Said Tyson

            "Good idea." Said Ozuma.

            "Yeah."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            It was about a quarter hour before the Celestials had to show up in the stadium for the next match pairings. 

            /So what happened?/

            /Everyone ate./

            /And?/

            /Well they asked Aqua why your life depended on the outcome of a battle./

            Wing tensed. /and?/

            /'She likes to exaggerate' were her exact words./

            Wing relaxed a little. /Anyway Storm and I were discussing something./ She held out her hand pressed something into Flame's. Flame looked at it. 

            /You were always brilliant, Wing./ But Wing was already conversing with Aqua.

            /So what?/

            /We need a plan. If anyone…you know what I mean. We're doomed./

            /Doomed. Your vocabulary is getting bigger./ 

            /Anyway, take her. She'll be of use./

            /Fine./

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            "You wonder what's going to happen?" asked Salima to Ray.

            "Yeah. Really. I do hope we get to battle those Celestials though."

            "Probably you will. By the looks of it, it's going to be the two of you at the finals!"     

            "Don't count on that." The two turned around to see Kane standing behind them.

            "I heard something about BioVolt."

            "What?" 

            "Voltaire's not after bit beasts this time. This could explain Kai's absence."

            "Why?"

            "I heard Voltaire is after bladers."

            They stopped for a while.

            "Did you know Voltaire had a granddaughter?" asked Britt out of nowhere.

            "Huh?" 

            "Yeah. Voltaire had two sons. And of course one of them was Kai's father. The other one…is said to have had a child too."

            "Hm Would that be Wing?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            lol, short chapter. I wanted to make this longer, include all the battles and all the conversing but I feel I owe you all an update. Don't you? Anyway a little question for all of you: Do you like me to have long chapters and update like once every two weeks or short ones like these about once or twice a week? Personally I like long chapters but I know my reviewers don't like it when I don't update. Another question. I am planning to write a prequel and a sequel to this. The prequel will definitely take place. The sequel…Do you want one? Send me answers. Also just in case, I have a question to ask Britt and Nessi. I think Anyway everyone who gave me characters. Can I use them again in the sequel? Oh yeah and instead of a quote stick around at the end cause I'm going to give you all a sneak peak at the prequel and the sequel. I've got the prequel layout done so it's not going to quit. But the sequel…I've got the basics…hehe  it's not a spoiler don't worry.  

THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS I LOVE YOU *HUGZ* SEVENTY SIX! [I wonder if I can get a hundred by the next three chapters??] [*bops head* Unigirl…stop being so ambitious…] TWELVE REVIEWS SINCE MY LAST UPDATE!!!!!! WOOOOW

Britt: Okay can I use your character in the sequel if it will exist? Thankies! Joint fic? Well Email would help and I'm not that big on joint fics…since one went kablooey but we could try. I do want you to write though…you and Kane? That will happen. Anyway that was my idea. You've never left the story. Just not very major. 

The Tigris: Something wrong with me I can't review your fic. But it's really really good and you should keep on writing. No. Imagine Ray saying…Oh youre my childhood ghost friend…that'd be funny. You can email me if you know what happened to Kai. It's okay just don't put it in the reviews..

Nessi: OKAY DON'T SPAZ! Anyway did you get my email? You're on the right track…switch people around…things like that and you'll get it right! Can I use Tomas and Draco in the sequel? Pleese? Tomas' bit beast? Big spoiler if you want I'll email you but it totally blows the plot. Really so I don't do this often but it is your OC and I need to respect that.

Demon's-gurl: Everyone sees Kai in the chapter before the finals. And everyone sees Kai sometime in the finals… I think. I've pretty much got this fic figured out except for the very very end. To survive in fanfiction.net, you have to be evil. I think you know that.

SilverWingPheonix: Thanks =)

Phoenix the 1st: Yes they will meet sooner than you think. The outcome? I know exactly how I'm going to write the Bladebreakers/Celestials battle. Don't worry about that. There's a way to lose and still win at the same time.

Hong: KAI IS THE CUTEST COOLEST CHARACTER OF ALL TIME! I LOVE KAI WITH ALL MY HEART! Where is he? That's for me to know and you to find out. Mariam's history is a bit changed and yeah I do like Lin. I think she's one of my "masterpieces" *glompz Lin* I added a Tyson/Lin scene in chapter two or one. If you wanna check it out.

Chris: Well try reading the next six or so chapters. I'm planning to make them long. But my plans usually don't go well. I'll give you this much: I'm trying my best.

Tomgirl27: Thank you. Except I've bopped Tomas, whipped him, done everything to him and he still doesn't feel pain…must be that BioVolt technology…Reviews? It's a good fic, you'll get reviews. Be patient. I tell ya, I had zero reviews up until chapter three, and three per chapter. Now I'm really happy! Anyway the Celestials…have a reason for being really good. I'll stop there. The boy _is_ Ozuma you dimwit. Okay sorry that was a joke.

*Previews*

Tears of Blood – prequel

Summary: There were only two she ever cared about. Her bit beast and her brother. For years she had kept them both safe. Now is a different story. To keep one is to destroy the other. The alternative: To live in captivity. Forever.

Shadow of the Past – Sequel

Summary: No one knew it would come down to this. The world is falling apart. And Kariey cannot get the other Guardians. It's up to him to save it now. Time is the enemy. All may be lost. 

So how do you like the sound of them? I don't know about Shadow of the Past. I might change the summary but Tears of blood…I like that. I wonder if it will fit though…Maybe not…

Anyway REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!


	16. Semifinals Begin!

UniGirl: Thankiez for the reviews! I love them already! Anyway, there was too much Celestial conversation in the last chapter. I need more…other people. So yeah I'm going to do that. Kai…I love Kai. No really. I talk about him so much that my mum watched beyblade yesterday just to see why I like Kai. Her reply: Elana, you're getting older, and you need to know what's good for you. I don't mind you watching anime, but don't go after cute boys in real life. I, I squealed. My mum thinks Kai is cute! Okay back to the subject. Kai…Kai hints come…

Kai: UNIGIRL

UniGirl: Oh yeah…not supposed to tell you or else he'll kill me. Unless I kill him first.

Kai: Yeah yeah whatever

UniGirl: I don't own beyblade and if I did Kai wouldn't…

Kai: *glarez*

UniGirl: Sorry _

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            "Wing? Voltaire's granddaughter?"           

            "She's got the temperament." Said Kane

            "How did you know Britt?" 

            Britt smiled shyly. _Maybe telling them wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done._ She commented to herself.

            "I don't think it's Wing." 

            "Why Lin?" 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The Saint Shields were getting ready for their match.

            Mariam stared at the mirror at her reflection. They didn't know who they were up against. That was the problem. But there was a great chance that they'd be battling either the Celestials or the Bladebreakers. She smirked. She was going to be in big trouble if Ozuma or Joseph found out what she was up to. She looked at Sharkrash. If things were going to be as planned, then the final match will be the Celestials versus the Bladebreakers. And she was going to make sure that happened.

            "What's up sis?"

            "Nothing. Just thinking."

            "Right. The pairings will be shown in a few minutes."

            "Let's go."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

            "I guess we better get going?" asked Ray

            "That'd be a good idea." Said Goki. 

            "Alright." 

            The Bladebreakers walked out towards the stadium. 

            "Good luck Ray." Salima said.

            "I'll be fine." He said over his shoulder. 

            Lin looked like she was about to kill her. 

            "She's a bit immature." Muttered Kane. 

            Britt chuckled. Kane looked at her, and couldn't help a smile. 

            Salima saw all of that, and in a whiney mocking voice, she said, "they like each other."

            Kane tore his eyes of the girl beside him. "Huh?"

            Goki laughed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            An Abbey was walking toward Voltaire's office. He shivered. Voltaire would not like what he had to say. Slowly he knocked.

            "Come in."

            "Master Voltaire." Then he looked around. "Master Boris, I have bad news."

            He could almost see the lines gathering in Voltaire's brow as he said, "Continue." 

            "I'm afraid Kai Hiwatari is not as dead as we think he is.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            "Welcome to the semifinal round of the World Championships! Let us introduce our teams: First we have the Saint Shields! Tough bunch to beat. Next we have the infamous Demolition Boys! Beware of brutal attacks on the blader and loss of bit beast."

            The Demolition Boys glared at Jazzman, who abruptly started sweating.

            "Anyway then we have the Celestials."

            "What can we say about them?"

            "Nothing. Really mysterious and tough bladers."

            "Okay and finally we have two times world champion the Bladebreakers!"

            The crowd went crazy. 

            "Alright, let's pick the pairings."

            The Bladebreakers tensed. 

            "I wonder who we're up against." Mused Ray aloud.

            "Doesn't matter. We'll beat them no matter what."

            "Not if…" he broke off as his worst fear was confirmed and Jazzman announced that the Demolition Boys will play the Saint Shields in the first block.

            "Well this should be interesting." Said Hilary. 

            "Too bad we won't get to see it." Said Ray as he got up.

            "Why?"

            "We're training. Right now."

            "What?" 

            "We're good, but not good enough to take on the Celestials."

            "Cheer up Ray." 

            "Fine. But we have to train."

            "Okay, okay. Let's go."

            Back in the stadium, Jazzman was announcing the rules. "Each chosen player will compete in a best of three match. Afterwards, the team with the most wins advances to the finals. Now let's have our pairings."

            Mariam's heart dropped to her stomach. _Would Helenia understand? That it's not my fault? _But Helenia didn't know. It didn't matter to her. What mattered is that she, Mariam, had failed. And with stakes this high, failing was not an option. _I guess I should to my best. And then, maybe she might let me go._ But she knew it wouldn't work as soon as the idea sprouted in her head. Helenia wasn't that gullible. 

            "First, we have Dunga of the Saint Shields versus Spencer of the Demolition Boys. Then we have Mariam of the Saint Shields versus Tomas of the Demolition boys, and finally, Ozuma versus Bryan!" Jazzman announced. 

            Dunga walked up to the stadium and faced Spencer. They both stood motionless until Jazzman started talking again.

            "Okay gentlemen, launchers ready, 3…2…1… LET IT RIP!" 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            "What do you mean he's not dead?" asked another worker.

            The first one stammered. Voltaire turned around. "Get out of here until I call you." He ordered. _Well, if our boy's shown himself, then that's a very good thing._

******Flashback******

            Voltaire watched as the four abbey workers chased Kai on the cliff. It was a few days after he had announced his retirement from the sport of Beyblading official. 

            "You…Let me talk to my grandfather." Shouted Kai

            "As if." One of them shouted back.

            "Aargh. Well if you insist. DRANZER" the blade spun at them tearing them apart. Kai ran down the edge of the cliff, only to be stopped by more men. 

            "What…?" he wondered

            "We've got you now, Hiwatari." One of them spat the last word.

            Kai kept running down the edge and stopped as others closed in on him from the opposite side. He was cornered. There was one more thing to do. He looked at the forest below him and bent his knees. 

            Just then a boat came into view in the wide river between the trees. A man looked up and smirked.

            "Boris…" Kai whispered.

            The man's eyes narrowed. He lit a match and threw it into one the mossy forest ground, and then he cranked the engine and sped away. 

            Kai looked back. There was a circle of men, each of them about a meter away. Whatever he did, there would be no escape. Then he looked at the flame under him. It had circled and blocked the river off. There was one last hope.

            "Dranzer," he whispered and the faithful phoenix flew back to its master. He caught it with one hand, bent down, and, with only the slightest hint of hesitation, jumped.

            Voltaire hissed. "You let him get away."

******End Flashback******

            _I knew he wouldn't be dead. My Kai isn't like that. He'd find a way out of everything._

            Boris was first to speak. "Master Voltaire, if you will kindly excuse me, the semifinal round of the championships was due to start five minutes ago."

            "You may go. Now why do you think he hasn't died yet?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Both blades flew into the stadium. Dunga growled. 

            "Attack" screamed Spencer.

            "Vortex Ape Attack!" Dunga screamed.

            "You really think you can beat me with that?"        

            "Huh?"

            "Seaborg!" the blade spun and hit Vortex Ape, sending sparks all through the stadium. Finally, with a shove, Vortex Ape hit the ground.

            "W-What?" 

            "You lost." Spencer smirked. Then he watched as Dunga picked up his blade shakily and attached it to his launcher.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Boris arrived in time to see that Spencer had just knocked Dunga's blade out of the dish. He smiled and walked out to sit with the team. 

            "Ready for more?" Spencer asked.

            "Yep." 

            "LET IT RIP!" 

            The blades clashed once, and another time. Sparks flew everywhere. Dunga shielded his eyes while Spencer just stood there, smirking.

            "I…m….gonna….wipe…that…pit…iful…smirk…off…your…face!" screamed Dunga. "Vortex Ape Attack NOW!" 

            Spencer just stood there as the great monkey bit beast crashed into his blade. 

            "Seaborg!" he screamed. His whale appeared. The two bit beasts crashed and again, sparks started flying.

            "Seaborg Final Attack NOW!" 

            Seaborg detached itself from Vortex Ape and circled from the other side, crushing the blade into pieces. 

            "No…" said Dunga weakly.

            "And the winner of the first match is Spencer!" announced Jazzman.

            Spencer smirked yet again and walked back to the stands. Boris was there to greet him. 

            "You were too slow." Was all he said. Then. "Come, I need to talk to you."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            "Argh do you need to be so tough on us?" 

            "Tyson!" 

            "Why?"

            "Since you refused to train every other day."

            "We can beat those wimps without any sweat."

            "Really? You were sweating very hard and she still beat you calm as can be."

            "She just lucked out." 

            "Really?" 

            "yeah."

            "We'll still win." 

            "Just be quiet and continue training."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

UniGirl: sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry *gasp* sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry *gasp* sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry

I am very very sorry. It's not really my fault, to tell the truth. I hadn't intended to be this long. I apologise sincerely. 

Britt: Okay tell me when. But I still need to think about it. I'm not that good a joint fics/partner work, etc.

The Tigris: SPRING BREAK IS TOO SHORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Phoenix the 1st: Sorry for being too long…*sob* Hope you're not that upset. You got an account! When are u gonna start writing? Writings fun! Newayz… 

Nessi: Y cant u write a story? I see tons of underage people! I used to be one too! Thanks! 

Demon's-gurl: thanks. Evillity is fun…*laughs* 

The Elfstone: Gigi? What's that for? Cooking is fun with Gigi Wong?

Thanks for bearing with me all! I hope to update soon. No promises!


	17. An old friend

UniGirl: Hi again. I don't own beyblade and I want to get this up by today, [March 24, 2004] but I don't think I will. So I'll skip the useless chitchat. 

PS as you see clearly, I didn't 

Dedication:  

This chapter is dedicated to **Demon's-Gurl** who persuaded me to put a Kai scene in. She asked me when the next Kai scene will be, and I decided to be nice. Thanks, Gurl

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Boris went into the changing rooms, followed by the rest of the Demolition Boys. They could sense a storm coming up already. And it was not going to be a good thing. The five of them sat down. Boris took a deep breath and said to Tomas, " Explain yourself."

            "Huh?"

            "How did you let this happen?"

            "What?"

            "You're chosen to be playing in the second round."

            "Yes." 

            "Why did you not phone me to sort things out?"

            "Because…I…"

            "No excuses."

            "No sir."

            The rest of the Demolition boys knew to keep quiet.

            "You know the consequences if an accident happens."

            "Yes."

            "Then why did you not phone me?"

            "Because…"

            "Because you wanted to battle anyway."

            All Tomas could do was nod.

            "We have five minutes. We need to think of a way around this."

            Tomas chose his words carefully. "I'll be careful when I get out there."

            "No. You can hardly keep your temper in check when you're practising."

            Tomas gave a rueful look at the ground. 

            "you're going to be punished when I tell Voltaire what happened."

            He nodded.

            "Foolish boy."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            "It's okay Dunga. We knew you'd lose."

            "Shut-up Mariam."

            "Cool it."

            "How many times have you said that today?"

            "twenty seven and counting."

            "Right." Mariam rolled her eyes sarcastically.

            "So you're playing next, sis,"

            "I've noticed."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Kai Hiwatari sat on the grass, his hood pulled over his head. Carolyn had given it to him so that no one would notice. He wanted to be alone, to have time to think things over with only Dranzer and no one else. For the past week, he had watched the Bladebreakers from a distance. They seemed to be doing fine without him. Maybe. Tyson didn't seem to be missing him. Max, ditto. Kenny, even if he did miss him, didn't show it. Ray, on the other hand, seemed worried about him. That was who he was worried about. Ray. 

            A cherry blossom petal landed in his lap from the tree above him. Kai looked at it. Only now had he started to appreciate the little things in life. Before, it had been taken away. He had been born to stand apart from the crowd. He knew that now. But even though he knew exactly why, it didn't make him feel any better. 

            How would Ray react when he found out what had really happened to him these few months? Where he had really been. Suddenly a new question popped into his head. Why hadn't he faced them and told them face to face? Was it because he was a coward? The more he thought about it, the more he found they deserved to know. 

            Dranzer lifted from her blade and flew into the branches of the tree. She shook it, and petals rained down on Kai. Kai reached out his hands to stroke his bit beast's golden plumage. 

*****Flashback*****

            "Carolyn…" Kai said

            "What Nemo?" she shot back.

            "Oh back to the pet names again, Disgrace,"

            she smirked

            "I'm going out."

            "so soon?"

            "I need time to think."

            "Okay. Here, take this. We can't have you spotted by a flying saucer."

            Kai smiled weakly as he took the heavy cloak. 

*****End Flashback*****

            Carolyn had done so much for him. And still he didn't know why. She seemed like just another girl. Wait. Fan girl. He had remembered Carolyn in the Abbey. She had escaped a little over two years ago. He had never seen her blade after then. 

            Distinctly, he heard some footsteps and abruptly jumped into the tree. He looked down to see the Bladebreakers walking over. 

            "That was a good training session." Said Tyson.

            "It wasn't tough enough." Said Ray.

            "Is Kai your role model or what?" asked Tyson

            "No but his style worked," 

            "I like yours,"

            "We haven't improved much since the beginning of the tournament." Said Kenny.

            _Please go _Kai thought desperately. But to his dismay, Ray announced that they would practise there.

            "Okay Tyson you and me will battle. Now."

            "WHAT?"

            "Yes."

            "WHY?"

            "We have to train."

            "BUT YOU CAN'T…"

            "Gosh. I wish I had paid more attention to Kai…then I'd know how to shut you up."

            "RAY!" but Ray had already attached his launcher.

            "Fine. LET IT RIP!" 

            Kai watched. He sighed every so silently. Not only did the team not improve, they had gotten worse. Then a new plan formed in his head. He smirked slightly. He would need to act quickly, but it would work. Ray wanted to know how to shut Tyson up. Well, he'd get his wish.

            "DRIGER!" 

            "DRAGOON!" 

            "After I win, I need to go get some food and then relax."

            "You won't be doing that anytime soon. ATTACK!"

            "DRAGOON!" 

            Kai waited for the right time before he struck.

            Ray was watching as Driger speeded straight towards Dragoon, when, 

            "Dranzer!" Kai pulled the blade.

            Ray looked up. A blue blade flew out of the cherry tree and knocked Dragoon out of the battle. Then it headed for Driger.

            "DRIGER!"  the White Tiger appeared. "Kai…?" he called

            Kai gasped. He was too late. He couldn't make his escape now. There was only one alternative. Pulling back his hood, he jumped onto the ground. 

            "Where were you?" asked Tyson

            "Why is it any of your business?" he answered

            "Don't tell me you went back to…"

            "I paid them a visit." He said, referring to the Demolition Boys and BioVolt.

            "When did you get here?" 

            "A while ago."

            "Do you know what's going on?"

            "Yes."

            "We're playing in the next round."

            "So I've heard." He reached out his hand and Dranzer flew back.

            Ray glanced at it, while Lin tugged at his sleeve.

            "Who's she? My replacement?"

            "Yep. She's Lin."

            "Right. I'm going now."

            "Wait!…"

            Kai spun around. "What?"

            "Could you…stay for the round? I mean…battle…you've probably been training more than us."

            For the first time, Kai actually panicked. But he was careful not to show any of it on his face. "Why?"

            "Because…we need your help."

            Kai turned to face the tree. "No."

            "But Kai…" he was gone.

            A silence fell onto the Bladebreakers. 

            "Am I hallucinating?" Ray whispered to Lin

            "No. He was here."

            "Why…"

            "He didn't betray you. I know that. I know when someone lies."

            Ray could do nothing but nod.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            the Demolition Boys walked up and sat down on their bench. Mariam watched as they entered and Tomas stood at the doorway. Boris went to speak to Jazzman, and then Mr Dickinson in Russian. Mr Dickinson nodded, looking very grim. Boris looked at Tomas, and, after giving a hard glare, nodded. To Mariam and the rest of the crowd's surprise, he sat down on the bench. 

            Jazzman walked up to the middle of the stadium. "Well I have some surprising news ladies and gentlemen. The Demolition Boys have forfeited the second round. 

            Mariam gaped at Jazzman. Then she punched the ground. The crowd was silent, all wondering the same thing: Why? 

            Tomas knew exactly why. And he didn't feel happy about it. _I HATE Boris. I HATE him. _He thought bitterly. _At this rate, I won't be able to battle this whole tournament. I'm supposed to be ready when Hiwatari boy shows up. Like he ever will. Why are they so keen on him? I saw him die with my own two eyes. I did. So why do they still think he's alive? AND WHY CAN'T I BLADE? _Tomas jumped at his own thought. _Okay. Keep your anger in check. Keep your anger in check. _

            Mariam walked off the dish. That wasn't a win. That was just as good as a cheat. Ozuma paused in front of her before he took his place in front of Bryan. Mariam then put her head on her knees. She would be dead before morning. She would.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Kai looked at the ground as he walked. There were two ways the Bladebreakers would take it. They could take it as a confirmation that he had left the team. Or they could take it as an indication that he was alive, and going to be rooting, as much as he can, for them. He certainly hoped it was the latter. There was only one who understood, and she was in no position to help him. But nothing would separate him and Dranzer. Nothing. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

UniGirl: Quick enough? To the reviews. Quickly

Nessi: I know you're probably going to have a field day at me for not having Tomas blade. I can tell you it's the best for all of us. We've seen most of Britt's secrets. Tomas is still a mystery, and I plan to keep it that way. Did you get my email? It said that you're on the right track about the Celestials. Just do some mixing and matching and you're fine. Again, sorry about Tomas. 

Demon's-gurl: Thanks for the inspiration to do this chapter. I really appreciate it. Even though your reviews are short, I enjoy them a lot. 

Phoenix the 1st: How old are you? I get dissed at school for liking Beyblade. I do. Don't you? No one knows except for the girl known as Feya. Sure your stories won't stink. It's okay. Everyone has to start somewhere. Tell you, when I first started writing, [no I won't give you the user] I stunk. Really badly. Was this fast enough?

The Tigris: I was going to revise all the chaps but I never got to…you know you slack off and you don't feel like doing anything. Spring Break is still too short.

Britt: Sorry you're not in this chapter. I don't know about the next. I think I'll update ATM first. I do owe that an update. I was never good at glaring, I try to learn from all the Kai and Inuyasha but nope never able to master it. 

In case you've been wondering where I was I was at the Hot Springs so yeah a reason. 

*Quote*

"_Zounds! I was never so bethump'd with words since I first call'd my brother's father dad."_

~ King John, Shakespeare

How this is related to the chapter, I don't know. 

            __


	18. A Secret Revealed

UniGirl: Hi. I don't know where all my reviewers went…I'm so sad…And I'm so sorry this came so late. My defense is that I have a long chapter. That's all. And that the Internet crashed on me when I was going to put it up. Anyway I found a nickname for Kai I quite like……NEMO! Yup that little cute fish in the movie. Yeah. That's my good news for today.

Kai: Nemo…cant you think of anything better

UniGirl: Grass…can't you think of anything better?

Kai: I was bored

UniGirl: has it ever occurred to you how many people stepped on that?

Kai: Hmph

UniGirl: Gosh anyway I watched the grev previews in Canada. YAY! I wanna see wut happens next…Kai looks totally cool. He's obsessed with grass though…But he looks so good chewing grass, so I don't care. Yes. And now every time I see a particularly long blade of grass, I think of Kai. Max's voice went through puberty, and Dizzi doesn't exist. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Ray looks like an elf. I loved his line. Re-enactment: 

            Tyson: Ray, What is your problem?

            Ray: To tell you the truth Tyson, you're my problem

[At this point UniGirl squeals] but it seems so OOC of Max to abandon Tyson. Ah…

I know Im making all u non Canadians jealous… Anyway I don't own Beyblade

Kai: And I hope you never will. 

UniGirl: that wasn't nice Nemo. 

Kai: Hmph.

UniGirl: Aw. It doesn't annoy him any more

Kai: *Walks away*

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Ozuma walked up to the stadium, facing Bryan. It seemed so weird of them to step down. Why? He may never know. What he did know was that if Flash Leopard won, they would go to the finals. 

******************

            Kai met up with Carolyn shortly after the brief encounter of the Bladebreakers. 

            "How'd it go?"

            "Fine."

            "Yeah right."

            "You watched?" 

            "I have better eyesight than you take me for."

            "Right." Carolyn was nice enough, but it didn't mean she was not annoying.

            "Where are you going now?" she asked as Kai rose from his chair to put the cup he was drinking from in the sink.

            "Out."

            "Right. That tells me a lot."

            "I suppose what you don't know can't kill you." Kai replied as he walked out the door.

            Deep blue eyes followed him through the window. A fiendish smirk appeared on Carolyn's face. "But it can." She whispered maliciously. 

**************

            "Let it rip!" called Ozuma. Bryan merely grunted. 

            "Attack!" 

            Bryan grunted again.

            The blades flew at each other in a speed thought impossible. They ground at each other, and then did it again. 

            Ozuma grunted as Flash Leopard pushed Bryan's Falborg against the walls of the stadium.

            "Falborg!" Falborg quickly shook it off.

            "Brad…you're supposed to be commenting."

            "Right. Those two are really ripping it out. The tension in here is building."

            "Exactly."

            Falborg slammed Flash Leopard against another wall.

            "Ooh I think Flash Leopard just took a blow to the head."

            "That's it…" Ozuma had enough. "FLASH LEOPARD!"

            the blade rushed out and gnawed at the other.

            Falborg held its ground. It attacked back.

            "FALBORG" Falborg rushed towards the other blade

            Flash leopard dodged it with ease and ran after it.

            Falborg rushed at it again. This time, its aim was true, and Flash Leopard was sent back. 

            "I've had enough of toying. FLASH LEOPARD CROSSFIRE!" Flash Leopard glowed and Ozuma put a hand to his chest to stop the jewel there from glowing in response. The Leopard Bit beast ran at its enemy.

            Flash leopard met its mark, but Falborg just stood there.

            "FALBORG!" the falcon rose from its bit chip and dove at Flash Leopard

            "Flash Leopard counter!" The black blade rushed toward its opponent. It met its mark, and Falborg bounced out of the stadium. 

            Bryan picked the blade up and looked at Boris, who had a frown on his face. 

            Ozuma held up his hand, and his blade spun back just as Jazzman announced them the winner. 

            Ray was puzzled. Last time he remembered Bryan, he wasn't this easy to beat. He must have something up his sleeve, or else Ozuma wouldn't have defeated him. 

            Lin noticed the frown on Ray's face. "What's the matter?" 

            "Nothing."

            "Wait." Said Dizzi. "Last time we met Bryan, he wasn't this weak."

            "I know."

            "What are you talking about?" asked Hilary and Lin at the same time.

            "Oh" said Ray, " In the Bladebreakers' first tournament, I battled Bryan in the final round. And he was tough."

            "Ooh," said Lin. "Then he must be good."

            "Nah," said Tyson. "He's brutal, but that's about it." 

            "Um guys…where's Ray?" asked Max

            They all turned around, but no sign of Ray.

            Ray walked down the path between the rows of flowering trees. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew he was going somewhere. 

            _I'm getting these fits of temper, and this need to spend time alone. I don't know why._ Ray put his head in his hands and sat down on a bench. He had fifteen minutes to think this over. He wanted to be back in the stadium before the match begun. 

            Softly but distinctly, Ray heard footsteps coming his way. Pricking up his ears, Ray jumped onto the branches of the tree. He didn't want anyone finding him. Especially not Tyson.

            Carolyn walked down the path. Her violet hair was up in a bun. The wind blew through the trees.

            Ray watched for the source of the footsteps. Slowly a figure appeared. It seemed to be walking slowly, so he figured it wasn't Tyson or any other Bladebreaker. As it neared, Ray held his breath. 

            Carolyn was still strolling along when she heard a tiny gasp. She was very observant, and even though the gasp sound very suppressed and was hardly noticeable, she found it obvious among the sounds of the wind. In the distance there were a few children screaming and shouting. She raised her hand. "Aquilla" she said. 

A white hawk flew towards her hand and she whispered to it. Then it took off again. Carolyn watched it. Then it screeched and the girl smiled.

Ray watched as the girl continued walking down the path as if nothing happened. He slowly relaxed. Then he tensed as she stopped right underneath the tree he was hiding in. He watched as her eyes travelled up the tree and stopped right where he was. She smirked and continued walking. Then she stopped about a few meters away. 

"I told you we'd meet again, Ray." She said with a hint of amusement in her voice. Then her bird flew to her again, and started growing and mutating until he saw what it really was – her bit beast. She grabbed a handful of neck feathers and climbed on as if she had done this every day. Spreading its wings, Aquilla took to the sky.

Ray stared at her in shock. He had almost forgotten about Carolyn.

*****Flashback*****

            "Why can't you stay with us?"

            "I'm a wanderer."

            "All beybladers wander."

            "My only root is with my bit beast. I side with no one."

            "Right. But will you come back?"

            "Let's just say we'll meet again."

*****End Flashback*****

            Ray jumped down and started running. It was almost time for the battle. If he didn't get there soon, he'd be late. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            /What a complete waste of time./ commented Aqua.

            /We could go./ said Wing.

            /We just got here./ said Storm

            /Okay then, me and Storm will stay here while you and Aqua go./

            /No thanks. I don't want to spend a day with Wing./

            /I feel insulted./ said Wing sarcastically

            the rest of the Celestials ignored her.

            /They're coming back in./ said Storm, indicating the Demolition Boys minus Tomas and the Saint Shields.

            /I wonder what happened to Tomas./ said Aqua half to herself.

            /Why do you care?/ asked Flame.

            Aqua was silent.         

            /Tell you what, I think that he's getting "Consequences" from Voltaire right now./

            /I'd rather have "consequences" from him rather than Wing./

            /I heard that./ Wing said. 

            /Why?/ asked Storm

            /Well, it's one thing being beaten up by an adult, it's another being beaten up by a kid half your size./

            /You have a point./ said Flame

            /Do you have anything else to tease me about other than my height?/

            /Your width?/

            Wing, who knew full well that she was literally skin and bone, made no comment.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Ray took his seat just as the beybattle was about to start. 

            "Where were you?" asked Lin

            "Huh? Just wandering."

            "You had me all worried."

            "You had us all worried." Said Tyson.

            "Sorry." He was saved from further questions as Ozuma and Bryan took the stage.

            "LET IT RIP!" 

            The two blades raced at each other again, and Bryan called up his bit beast.

            "Falborg." 

            Ozuma watched the blade, but no falcon appeared. Instead, the winds kicked up and, before he knew it, Ozuma had started shivering.

            "He's on with the same tactic he used on Me." Said Ray.

            "Ozuma doesn't know." Said Max worriedly. 

            "You're right."

            Meanwhile, in the stadium, Ozuma was struggling against the wind.

            "What? Too cold for you?" Bryan snickered.

            "You should say. You live in Russia. FLASH LEOP…" he broke off and grunted as a strong gust swiped through his gut.

            "The kiddy forgot to bring a coat." Said Bryan tauntingly.

            Ozuma reached toward his neck. He was a creature of fire. Of Kariey. No bit beast could overpower his jewel. Suddenly his blade flashed and the jewel sparked. Luckily his hand was covering it. But he had understood his bit beast's warning. He had to do this without the help of his jewel. If he called on it, all would be lost for the Mages. 

            Ozuma struggled to his feet. "FLASH LEOPARD!" 

            The bit beast emerged from the bit chip. Ozuma relaxed a little. But as he did, Bryan sent another sharp gust at his shoulder, slicing it.

            "Wha-?"

"This was easier than I thought. FALBORG FINISH IT!" 

            All of a sudden, the winds got stronger, and both Ozuma and his beyblade were knocked off the stage.

            The Saint shields rushed to their team mate's side. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            /Well I must say that was amusing./ commented Wing.

            /Yeah./

********

            "That was brutal," said Hilary.

            "How could he?" asked Lin

            "That's the Bryan I know." Said Ray.

            "And you won?" 

            "Barely," he said.

            "That's my Ray for you, always so modest."

            Lin didn't notice the glare.

            Ray got up again.

            "Where are you going?" 

            "Oh. Washroom."

            "Okay." Lin got up.

            "No Lin. I'm old enough to go by myself."

            "I was going to get a drink." Said Lin defiantly. 

            Ray walked towards the washrooms, but then, after he was pretty sure Lin had walked away, he took a turn and headed out the doors. _At times like this, I wish Yaleri was here._ He thought.

            Ozuma was one of them. He was sure of it now. He had felt another jewel just as the winds had started getting fierce. Ozuma had thought of using his jewel to protect him. He didn't blame him. It was dangerous for all of them, though. Unless, of course, his Guardian showed up. The chances of that: zero to none. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Ozuma limped into his changing room, supported by Dunga. 

            "How could he be so brutal?"

            "That's your typical Demolition Boy." Said Mariam without thinking.

            "What?" 

            Mariam mentally hit herself. "Oh I heard rumours about the Demolition Boys."

            "From whom?"

            Mariam kept silent._ Helenia's gonna kill me._ She thought. _But I'm already dead._

            "It's okay sis," said Joseph, "We know you've been getting together with Max."

            Mariam hit the earth with an unpleasant bump.

            "Max?"

            "Yeah."

            "I haven't talked to Max since the breakfast we had together before the semifinals."

            "Oh Mariam has a crush." Said Dunga.

            "Max and I are over. If we ever started"

            "Really." Said Dunga sarcastically 

What Mariam said was true. She had been so busy during the last few weeks that she had never actually gotten a chance to talk to Max.

            "Cool down you guys." Said Ozuma

            "You know, Ozuma, you've been saying that often." 

            "Then why don't you and Dunga stop fighting?"

            "Okay that was unlike you."

            Ozuma kept silent. He was thinking. He felt guilty._ That was so selfish of me. I almost got all of us found out. I almost blew our cover._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The final battle was almost starting. Aqua couldn't stand it any more. 

            /That's it! I'm going./

            /Go by yourself/

            /You're not coming?/

            /Nope. At this rate, it's us against those Demolition Boys at the finals./

            /Right./

            Flame got up. /I'll go too./

            /Flame?/ asked Storm

            /What?/

            /You're going?/

            /Yes. I can't stand it here with so many people./

            /Okay just be here on time after the battle./ Wing added a glare after her sentence.

            /All right./ Flame knew how Wing hated it when people were late.

            Ozuma walked up to the stage and held Flash Leopard close to his jewel. This might be his last time with his bit beast. He shook his head slightly to clear the thought. _Don't think about those things_ he told himself. 

            The final battle began. 

            Bryan wasted no time in giving Ozuma the hardest time he could. 

"Falborg" the winds started up again. This time there were even fiercer and colder than before.

Ozuma was ready. "FLASH LEOPARD!" Flash Leopard emerged from the bit chip. All of a sudden the winds were engulfed in red flames.

"ATTACK" Ozuma screamed. All the energy poured into the blade as it ran towards the opponent. 

"FALBORG COUNTER" The two blades made contact and pushed each other as far as they could go.

"Keep going" urged Ozuma.

"Falborg get him off of you!" screamed Bryan. His blade gave a heavy nudge and Flash Leopard bounced off. 

The winds started up again.

Ozuma put one hand to shield his face. Big mistake. A particularly strong gust came at him and sliced his arm. Blood welled up in the wound, and he cradled it. It didn't work. Another gust circled his legs and finally, with tremendous force, one hit him in the stomach, causing him to fall back.

"OZUMA" called Mariam as she rushed forward. 

"no Mariam." He said. "I can handle this. FLASH LEOPARD!"

"Oh no." said Dizzi, "Flash Leopard is getting weak."

            "Ozuma's in big trouble." Said Kenny. "Any advice?"

            "What? Don't run with scissors?" [A/N that's not mine.]

            "Dizzi."

            Ray stared at Ozuma. Then he made up his mind. He stood up.

            "OZUMA!" 

            Ozuma turned his head. "Ray?"

            "Hold still. Stay strong. Don't give up. That's what Bryan doesn't like."

            Bryan turned at Ray. "Stay out of this."

            "Ozuma's my friend."

            "How would you know?" asked Ozuma.

            "I battled Bryan before." He said

            "Right." He turned back to the task at hand. Ray's words echoed in his head. _Hold still, Stay strong. Okay,_ he thought _It's worth a shot._ All of a sudden the winds seemed colder and stronger.

            "FALBORG!" 

            Ozuma winced as Falborg struck yet another blow. Usually he worked to protect his bit beast. He couldn't even protect himself today.

            "Flash Leopard…" said Oliver

            "He's not going to make it." Said Robert.

            "He is." Said Johnny.

            "Huh?"

            "I don't remember Johnny rooting for someone."

            "Argh." They didn't understand. _OZUMA'S THE OTHER MAGE OF FIRE YOU IDIOTS! _ He practically screamed the words out loud but then what would he say? I'm a boy with magical powers? As if.

            Bryan was annoyed. Why didn't he give up? Maybe he should turn the winds up a notch. 

            As if Falborg was listening, the winds grew fiercer. If he hadn't experienced it, Ozuma wouldn't have believed it possible. He slowly felt himself losing consciousness. 

            Ray gasped. Last time he had battled Bryan, he hadn't been this strong. At this rate, Ozuma would die. Like it mattered to him. According to what Kai said, the Demolition Boys were to win at all costs – even if it meant taking a life.

            Ozuma fell to his knees yet again. All the Saint Shields were on their feet. Ozuma had to keep telling them not to come. 

            "Forfeit, Ozuma," shouted Mariam. "We don't want you hurt."

            Ozuma shook his head fiercely. But he realized that Mariam had suggested the only way out of this. He slowly tried to get up onto his feet to announce that he had enough, when another blow struck his thigh and he was forced to fall again. 

            Then he realized: These winds could not be stopped. They were going to play until there was a winner.

            And unless he found a way, then they would play until he, Ozuma, died. He was already so weak.

            He had a choice. He could use his jewel to save himself. If he did, then all the Mages would be discovered. If he didn't he'd die, and the Mages will fall apart. 

            Ray knew what he was thinking. He had been faced with this same decision

*****Flashback*****

            It was now or never. Summoning all the strength from his jewel, he wrapped it around himself like a barrier. He wove Driger into it. The crowd would think that Driger had sacrificed himself. Even though he didn't like it, he had no other choice. 

*****End Flashback*****

The problem now was, Ozuma was most definitely a Mage of fire. Which meant his glow would be red, not brown. Driger was white, and it could have passed. But Ozuma's colour was red. It'd definitely be seen. Unless…

Ozuma thought quickly. Both would hurt all of them greatly. Then a thought hit him If Kariey came, he'd be saved. Chances? Close to zero. But if he didn't try, it would be zero. He summoned all the warmth he could muster. 

Bryan stared in disbelief.

"FLASH LEOPARD!" he shouted. Suddenly he was on his feet. The stadium burst with red light. 

And as quickly as it came, the light went out. 

Kariey stood in a shadowy corner. He had sensed a jewel being used. He had to suppress it. His own jewel, the one that he had controlled so expertly to match the colour of his skin, suddenly sparked a fiery crimson. He reached out mentally to Ozuma's and the light dimmed. He had arrived just a second late, and although Ozuma was fine, the ones who already knew in the first place might know what this meant. Specifically speaking, Voltaire might know he was back.

Ozuma watched as his jewel dimmed, and, whirling around, saw the faintest spark in one corner. "Thanks" he mouthed before turning to the battle – and gasping. 

Flash Leopard was spinning very very weakly. Bryan met his eyes and he smirked before ordering a final attack. Flash Leopard flew out of the stadium easily. Ozuma watched his beloved bit beast go – before collapsing onto the grounds.

            Kariey scowled. He turned to go before he was blocked by two men standing at the doorway. One of them lifted his hood, and he immediately recognized him as Voltaire. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING! REALLY! ;_; 

How was that for length? For me, I'm proud of myself. I think the Celestials will battle in the next chapter, but there's still the aftermath of Ozuma, Kariey, and of course

Reviewz! Thanks!__

            Phoenix the 1st: Cool. I've never heard of them. Where are you in the world? Sorry about the long wait. I was very very busy. Yeah. But actually I'm thinking of writing a new fic after I finish my other one about Inuyasha. Of course then I'll still keep this going…I think

            Britt: Who doesn't hate Boris? 

            Demon's-gurl: You feel so what? Anyway Celestials will battle in the next chapter. Also, I got a review from Nessi thanking you. You're always a lot of inspiration. 

            Dranzen: YOURE BACK! *glompz* I haven't forgotten you. Wow. Almost everyone's got an account now! Kai…no spoilers.

            Nessi: I know I'm evil. Anyway Tomas…is kinda complicated. He's got a ton against Boris but don't we all? ^_______^

*Quote*

[A/N if you read some of the quotes carefully there are hints dropped in them.]

            _"Bravery is an act, not a value."_

                                                ~ Don't know where I've heard this.


	19. The Eye of a Storm

UniGirl: I don't own beyblade.

Lin: What's the big hurry?

UniGirl: to get away from you.

Lin: O.O

UniGirl: Okay and something else, don't spazz if you see any chapters missing, I will be taking them down, putting them up, etc. This chapter was so late because I had originally finished it, then decided it stank, [no seriously, it'd make you start puking…was so sappy.] and then started it again. Then I felt I owed you a longer chapter, since, well, it took me so long, so yes, a little treat, tons of "hints" about various characters, and of course, a Celestial vs. Bladebreaker battle. Some of you are really looking forward to that. Hehe. But anyway, sorry, Sorry, and Sorry. Hope you really like it.

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            Voltaire had a gun at his face. All Kariey had, was the silver knife at his boot, and his blade. Normal people would have been scared. Not him. A Guardian couldn't be shot to death by a gun. Maybe few knew it, but the Guardians were actually fays in human form, which meant, the only way they could be killed was by iron. And even that didn't ensure certain death. 

            Kariey glared at Voltaire. "So now, what do you want?"

            "You to come with me."

            "Dream again."

            "Or else I'll shoot."

            "I'd like to see you try."

            Voltaire lowered his gun. _Boy this guy sure knows how to provoke me. He will pay._ He thought

            Kariey smirked. Then he reached down to his boot and withdrew  a slender but sharp knife. It had a brown handle and there seemed to be inscriptions on it. Expertly, he pinned Voltaire to the wall. 

            "What do you want?"

            "n…nothing."

            "You'd better be telling the truth."

            Kariey lowered the knife, which was at Voltaire's throat seconds earlier, and disappeared into the path outside the stadium.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Ozuma was walking down a long corridor, not knowing where he was really going. He'd let them down. He'd let Kariey down. Kariey had to come save him. For all he knew, his Guardian might even be chained up right now.

            He watched his feet. He dragged them on the ground. The Saint Shields were out of the running. They were already toast. And, to top it off, he was in big trouble. Sure, Kariey was much nicer than Yaleri, but it didn't mean that he wasn't known for getting annoyed when people didn't do their jobs. 

            He bumped into a figure. 

            "Oh sorry." He apologized automatically.

            "No, it's okay, I was looking for you."

            Ozuma raised his head for the first time to meet the bright orange orbs that belonged to Ray. 

            "Ray."

            "That's my name."

            "Why were you looking for me?"

            "Oh, I wanted to tell you, we're meeting at the balcony outside mine and Max's hotel room tonight."

            Ozuma nodded. Then he truly understood what Ray meant.

            "You forgive me?"        

            "You can't say that, no. Since, well, Eltila hasn't had a say in this yet, but me, seriously, I don't think it's your fault."

            "You don't?"

            "This is not the best place to discuss it." Was all Ray said.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            /That was interesting,/ commented Storm as he walked into the training room with Wing.

            /Really?/ asked Flame sceptically

            /Kinda./ 

            Flame crossed his arms. /I believe you, Wing, I believe you./

            Wing ignored him.

            /We know one thing./ said Storm

            /What's that?/ asked Aqua, suddenly interested. 

            /The Guardians are back./

            There was silence.

            /What makes you say that?/ asked Flame

            /You know it. The enemy knows it./

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Mariam stood out in the dark, waiting for Helenia. She was scared, even though she would never, in a million years, admit it, she was truly scared. She had failed at task that Helenia had set for her. That was unheard of. What's more? Helenia might just have a spazzing fit if she found out that the Guardian of Fire was at the beybattle today.

            "You don't have to be that worried." Said a voice from behind her.

            Mariam turned around. Then she stepped back. Helenia was in her battle costume, which usually meant that this was not a good time to talk. Her bladed whip sat in a pouch at her waist, and she had one hand casually on it. Mariam eyed it nervously. 

            "I said, relax." Said Helenia, more firm this time.

            "He-Helenia" stuttered Mariam.

            "Relax" she repeated

            Mariam relaxed just a little. 

            Helenia's eyes darkened. "You don't need to tell me what happened. I know. BioVolt, for the first time, has forfeited a match. And Kariey has shown his true colours today."

            Mariam nodded.

            Helenia sat down on the railing, leaving the empty chair to Mariam.

            "Sit down. It's time I told you everything. About me, and about you."

            So for a long time, Mariam listened in silence to what Helenia had to say. When she was finished, Mariam was no longer scared. She was shocked. Her mouth hung wide open, and she was on her feet.

            "It can't be."

            Helenia was silent.

            "It can't. It just can't."

            "You'd be amazed at what the power of Water can do."

            "But then…"

            "I'm still in charge." Helenia managed a small smile before she jumped off the balcony. 

            Mariam took out her Sharkrash. So the four Guardians had planned this all along. They'd planned this. And she thought she had foiled it, while actually playing along to the plan…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Ozuma quietly unlocked the door to the Saint Shields' apartment. It was an interesting conversation, they all had. And one that was very puzzling. Especially since both Kariey and Yaleri showed up, without Eltila, which was very strange indeed. Not to mention the fact that Kariey had refused to explain why there was a huge scar up his arm and that the pair of them were in their battle costumes. Well it wasn't much of a difference for Kariey, since his normal clothes and his battle costume didn't have much of a difference. 

            He was surprised to find anyone awake, not to mention Mariam closing the glass sliding door that lead to the balcony. 

            "Where were you?" she asked

            "I had some unfinished work."

            "That tells me a lot."

            "What were you doing?"

            "I went to take a breather."

            Ozuma rolled his eyes. Mariam yawned. She settled in a bet in the left of the hall and Ozuma the right, and retired for the day.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Ray sat at the table, watching Tyson stuff himself with food. Lin was off on another planet, thinking, he figured, about the mysterious conversation they had yesterday. The guardians were appearing more frequently. Kariey had shown his true colours. Did it mean that they were all coming back? Did it mean that the bit beasts were safe at last? Or did it mean the opposite?

            Ray shook his head to clear his thoughts. Max looked at him worriedly. He knew very little of what was going on, and he figured he didn't want to know more. Ray looked stressed out. Maybe he really was. If it was that case, he would never know.

            Kenny was typing on his laptop as usual, trying to get an upgrade for Lin's Drolcyan, after her protesting so many times that it didn't need one. Hilary kept glaring at Tyson and shooting nervous glances at Lin. Maybe she had noticed that something was up. 

            Ray announced that they were going to leave. He was full and didn't want Tyson to be sick. They wouldn't have a choice as to who would be playing. If Tyson got sick, and he was chosen to play, then the Bladebreakers would have a problem. They couldn't afford forfeiting to the Celestials. They just couldn't.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            /Wing, you're a bit slanted./

            /Right./ Her white blade started spinning rapidly.

            /Aqua, watch from behind./ 

            Wing's blade crashed into Aqua's. 

            /I guess I need to work on my defense./

            /You could say that again./

            /Wing, a hand please?/

            /My pleasure./ Wing's blade gnawed at Aqua's, and the other girl was concentrating hard.

            /C'mon…/ All of a sudden, the white blade bounced back.

            /Great going, Aqua./

            /Where's Flame?/ 

            /Family reunion, what else?/

            Storm sighed.

            Wing looked at her watch. /Storm, you play Aqua, she needs practise. And then we've got to get Flame before the battle./

            /Talk about leaving things to the last minute./

            As usual, Aqua was ignored.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The Bladebreakers sat on the bench facing the Celestials as Jazzman announced them up. Ray crossed his fingers behind his back. They needed all the luck they could get. And what about Kai? Why didn't he join up with them? He shook his head. He needed to focus. 

            The pairings were announced. Storm was to go first against Tyson. Lin against Flame, and finally Wing against Ray. Ray knew what he was up against. He had hardly seen Wing battle, but she was a tough one to beat. 

            Tyson walked up to the stadium. Ray silently thanked himself for pulling him out of the buffet. He held up his launcher. Storm had his at his side.

            "3…2…1…" 

            "LET IT RIP!" screamed Tyson.

            Storm merely pulled the ripcord.

            "ATTACK" 

            Storm smirked. This was going to be easier than he thought it would be. Much easier. 

            His brown blade swerved. 

            "Huh?" 

            "Raw power doesn't win a match." 

            Storm's blade tailed Dragoon closely. 

            "Wow, he's fast." Commented Tyson.

            Storm smirked

            "Blast him!" said Storm calmly.

            His brown blade broke off and flew to the lip of the dish. Then it charged. 

            Dragoon bounced back.

            "Oh no, it's wobbling." Said Kenny

            "Right on that," remarked Dizzi. "Things don't look good."

            "For Dragoon, that is."

            "That's it. DRAGOON" The great dragon bit beast rose out of the bit chip, and Storm stepped back to get a closer look at it.

            "So, you've got a bit beast. So what?"

            Tyson winced. "You don't"

            "How do you know that for sure?" asked Storm before he actually thought, earning a hard glare from all the Celestials.

            "Ha. So you do have a bit beast. Why don't you call it out?"

            "Because I don't need him to defeat an amateur like you."

            "Who are you calling an amateur?"

            "You. GO DUST COLLISION!" 

            His blade let off a faint glow, and charged right towards his opponent.

            "DRAGOON PHANTOM HURRICANE!"

            "Wow. A tornado. Coming from your mouth or your rear end?" 

            "Whoa that stung." Said Hilary.

            "He sure knows how to aggravate Tyson."

            "I'll make myself a mental note to use it the next time Tyson's overconfident." 

            "DIZZI WE HAVE TO GET SERIOUS!" 

            "Fine, fine, fine,"

            Dragoon's hurricane still charged towards Storm's brown blade. As it neared, Storm stepped back to avoid all the shockwaves. 

            "Let's finish this DRAGOON" screamed Tyson

            Storm smirked as his blade flew to the air. His smirk grew even wider as he watched his blade fly out of the dish.

            "What's so funny? You lost."

            Storm bent down to pick up his fallen blade. "You haven't changed much, Tyson. Trust me."

            Then, confidently, as if it was he who had won the match, Storm walked off the stadium. 

            "What's up with them?" Asked Tyson puzzled.

            "They've got a weird way of thinking." Commented Lin.

            "They really do. That worries me." Said Ray.

            "Why? I won." 

            "I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about this."

            "Don't sweat it, Ray."

            "I can't help if I'm worried."

            Tyson put a hand around his shoulder. "It's okay buddy."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            From a platform at the top of the stadium, a solitary figure watched. His red bangs fell past his cheeks, and his aqua eyes scanned the stadium. 

            "Tala?"  Tala turned around, his heart thumping. Had someone found him? No one was there. He turned back to the stadium, watching the buzz and confusion. 

            "Tala?" that voice again. He turned, trying to pinpoint where it was coming from. He turned again, but kept his ears pricked.

            "Tala?" that voice at third time. He looked to his right, at any place where someone could be hiding.

            The voice laughed. "You found me, I give up." 

            A tall teen, one or two years older than him, walked from behind a stack of crates in the shadows. She had deep rich blue hair held up in a casual ponytail. Her sleeveless vest was worn carelessly over a black shirt underneath. A deep brown cloth wrapped around her waist, secured by a silver belt.

            Tala just stared. She was so familiar. He couldn't place her anywhere. Unless…

            "Marina…It's not you…"

            "I don't know you anymore. You don't know me either."

            Tala half understood what she meant. Her green eyes told him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Tyson stood at the stadium waiting for his opponent. His foot tapped the floor impatiently and his mouth was turned up in a pout. He closed his eyes. 

            Footsteps drew nearer. Tyson opened his eyes to see the dark haired boy walking towards him. His mouth was a thin, hard, line. There was no way to tell what he was thinking.

            /You're late./

            /I know./

            /What were you doing?/

            /Nothing./

            Storm held up his launcher. He had been strategizing. He would win this time. He was sure of it. 

            "LET IT RIP!" the two of them called as Tyson pulled his ripcord as fast as he could.

            "I think that I'll finish this quickly, then I can have lunch." Said Tyson

            "Poor Ty, always thinking about food."

            "HEY!" 

            Storm was calm. He wasn't intimidated one bit. 

            "DRAGOON" Tyson wasted no time in summoning his bit beast. 

            Storm smirked

            "DRAGOON ATTACK" 

            "DEFEND"

            Dragoon's hurricane started rushing towards Storm's blade, but Storm just stood there, and his blade spun rapidly, creating a barely visible barrier.

            Dragoon collided into it, and the hurricane stopped immediately. 

            "What?"

            Kenny, meanwhile, was typing rapidly on his computer. "Wow. Storm absorbed Dragoon's hurricane." He commented.

            "How?"

            "I don't know. I'm wondering where his bit beast is."

            "He must have a bit beast, or else the blade wouldn't be that strong."

            "He even mentioned a bit beast once."

            "But why isn't he using it?"

            "My ultraviolet radar isn't picking any invisible bit beast."

            "Why did Dragoon's attack not work?"

            "Because power isn't the only attribute to victory. You need strategy too."

            "And you have neither. DRAGOON!"

            "TYSON!" Kenny screamed, "DON'T"

            Storm smirked. "Let's finish this. ATTACK!"

            The two blades collided in one blast, and Dragoon was thrown off the stadium.

            "What just happened? Asked Hilary.

            "That blade has more power than I have seen." Said Kenny

            "Those Celestials are tough. Very tough."

            "And ruthless."

            Tyson was annoyed. "Argh, please can you be quiet, it was jus a small loss, I can handle it. IT WAS JUST A SMALL MISTAKE!!!!!!!"

            "Or is it?" asked a feminine voice from the door.

            "Who are you?" asked Lin as they turned to the door to face a hooded girl.

            "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Carolyn." She pulled back her hood and her blue eyes flashed.

            "Carolyn?" asked Max.

            "What? Forgot me already?"

            "What are you doing here?"

            "Hanging out."

            "Who's that?" asked Lin

            "She's Carolyn. A girl we met a few years ago."

            "You've grown." Said Tyson

            "Funny, I am older than you. And you sure haven't, as in maturity. In appetite, you have."

            Tyson growled. "How did you know."

            "A good friend of yours told me."

            "Who would that be?"

            "Guess. Just guess."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING!  Please forgive me. PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

            I watched the "Breaking the Ice" eppie last week and now I'm so happy. I never actually saw season one before. And yeah. I kinda went crazy this week and last week since the Russia thing was playing…*sighs dreamily* REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!

            Oh and yes, I'm evil for not telling you what Helenia said to Mariam. That's a secret…I admit, it's one of my brillianter ideas. 

            Britt: I think I'm fancying longer chapter now, it's easier to write, but my reviewers get a field day at me for taking a long time.

            Phoenix the 1st: I don't have it yet, and maybe when I do you can. But you can always email me. I'm free for that, and I love emails.

            Nessi: Did you get my advice? I hope you're not offended, it wasn't meant to be offensive. Then again, every piece of criticism I write is offensive…I'm sorry. It was supposed to be nice, not offensive. The plot's great. I think that's better than people who have really bad plots… and good writing.

            Dranzen: I know. But it's a friendly hug, I bet. Kai and Tyson don't love each other. Anyway this is a show for little kids. Seven year olds watch it. Love's not supposed to be here. It's just friendship. I love ranting, it gets out of control sometimes…Wow…you're the first person to say something of mine was amazing…I'm honoured! How can I forget you? It was sorely because of you that this fic still exists. You telling me to update every two days…If it weren't for you, I would have given up long by now…

            The Elfstone: Why do I bother?

            Cheetah of the Damned: I hope you like it…lol ^^


	20. Raging Flames

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or any of its characters. So what if I do?

UniGirl: **YAAAAAAAAAAY! OVER 100 REVIEWS!** I would like to thank a few people, you know who you are, for this. It has been my milestone for many a week. AND I'M FINALLY HERE!!!!!!! 

Okay so I've just done my first completed fic, and am quite proud of it…Alright this is for all you Inuyasha fans, [no really, I'm obsessed with Inuyasha lately] I'm going to do an Inuyasha fic…hehe. I probably will do another Beyblade fic someday, probably a Beyblade AU. I've got some of the story figured out for that…but that's my announcements. I've also announced that there will be no prequel to this story, and only a sequel, just because I was writing it, and it was REALLY *coughs* sueish and way to cliché. 

Another announcement. Now, looking at my frequency of updating, you probably have guessed that I have some personal problems. Okay. I'll tell you. School's killing me. It is. So I don't think I'll have a lot of updates until the end of May, when all my projects are done. I might have one after this, but don't expect more. If I do have more updates, that's a treat. I'm really really really sorry. But I can't let Fanfiction.net, as much as I like it, interfere with my grades. Okay *gasps* to the chapter. PS. I'll try to make it extra good since I won't be updating. Maybe. I haven't written it yet though…

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            _Carolyn_ Ray thought, _Carolyn…_

*****Flashback*****

            "Do you…perhaps…want to join the team?" Ray asked, after being ignored like thirty times.

            "No. And that's final."

            "Why?"

            Carolyn turned to face him. "I have more important things to do in life."

            "Carolyn…"

            Carolyn turned and walked out.

*****End Flashback*****

            Max despised Carolyn. Carolyn despised Tyson. 

            "Why are you here?" asked Max

            "I live in Japan."

            "Yeah…"

            "What did you do these past years?" asked Ray, in an attempt to break the tension.

            "Why is that your business?"

            Ray winced. 

            "Wow, girl, you didn't need to do that."

            "I can do whatever I want, Tyson." She replied coolly.

            "Who is she?" whispered Hilary, "Do you trust her?"

            "I used to," Tyson whispered back.

            "I heard that. If you don't want me here, I might as well leave." She slammed the door behind her.

            "She's got one weird attitude."

            "You can't blame her."

            "Why?" asked Max fiercely.

            "You know what she's been through…"

            "Do you think…think that she went back to BioVolt?"

            Ray jumped. "Maybe." He whispered.

            "Wait. Maybe she's Voltaire's granddaughter."

            Max turned to face Tyson. "She told us specifically that she's not related to Kai."

            "And you think she can be trusted?"

            "Good question."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Storm tapped his foot impatiently as Tyson stepped up to the stage. 

            "This time, you're late."

            "I had some things to take care of."

            "Why does that sound familiar? 

            "I dunno."

            He held up his blade. 

            Tyson did the same.

            "LET IT RIP!!!!!!!!" they screamed in unison.

            Tyson pulled his ripcord with smoothness and his blade landed squarely in the middle of the stadium. 

            Storm, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. He had tilted his blade slightly so that the blade landed off balance and was wobbling. 

            Tyson smirked and looked at the older teen, who was smirking too.

            _Maybe he hadn't noticed,_ Tyson thought.

            But as Storm looked down, he made it obvious that his blade was wobbling.

            _Well, just have to finish this quick…_ Tyson thought as he called on the sacred spirit.

            "DRAGOON!" 

            Tyson's white blade rushed towards the other, knocking it high. It might have been able to land and still keep spinning, but Storm caught it in his right hand.

            He smirked

            "Huh?" Tyson was puzzled.

            "You win." He smirked coldly again.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Tyson stared at his blade. "For some reason, that didn't feel like a win."

            "What's up with them?" asked Ray

            "Doesn't matter" said Max. "If I win this round, which, by the looks of it, won't be that hard seeing as Flame is a very offensive person, then we get to the finals, and these Celestials are out of our way."

            "I don't think it will be that easy," said Lin

            There was a knock on the door.

            "Hi, it's you guys." Said Ray

            "Who else pays visits?" asked Kane

            "I dunno. A lot of people, I guess." Said Max

            "Why did you come all of a sudden?"

            "Well I found Storm's behavior very suspicious." Said Salima, who just walked in.

            Goki grunted. 

            Max looked around. "How's Britt?"

            Kane laughed. "She's okay, probably hiding in a corner or something."

            Britt poked her head around the doorframe. "did someone call me?"

            "C'mon in." said Max

            "Fine." She brushed some loose bangs from her face. "You're battling next round, aren't you?"

            "Yup."

            "Good luck."

            Kane stared at the two of them. 

            Noticing the tension, Britt mouthed, "He's my cousin."

            Fortunately, no one noticed. Well, except Max who didn't say anything.

"Hey Ray,"

            "Yeah?" 

            "You've been depressed lately." Salima walked over to sit beside Ray, earning a hard glare from Lin.

            "I guess." Ray sighed. Was he making it that obvious?

            "Must be hard for you," Salima said

            Ray almost jumped. Had she known?

            "I mean, he was your most valued team mate." 

            Ray relaxed. She was talking about Kai.

            "And you need him most now. He'd know about these people."

_            Maybe he would, _Ray thought. 

            "What's the matter?" Salima asked

            "Huh?"

            "You haven't been talking."

            "Oh."

            "Have you been listening?" Salima hugged her knees on the bench.

            "Yeah."

            Lin, who had had enough, ran over to Salima and pushed her off the bench.

            "What was that for?"

            "What are you doing with my Ray??" Her face was purple.

            Tyson backed away. "Whoa…spazz."

            Salima got up and fiercely said, "Ray doesn't belong to anyone. Especially not to a loser like you."

            "DID YOU CALL ME A LOSER!"

            "Yes."

            "WHAT WAS THAT????????"

            Ray pulled Lin off of Salima. "Stop it, Lin."

            Lin breathed heavily. "Sorry."

            Salima grinned.

            "You want to go outside?" asked Hilary

            "Okay…"

            Max stayed in the back of the line and pulled Britt over. 

            "What?"

            "Kane…"

            Britt started blushing.    

            "Is there something going on between you two?"           

            "No."

            "Really…"

            "Well, I think he's hot."

            "And?"

            Britt practically glowed scarlet.

            "What do you want me to say?" she tore from Max to catch up with the crowd. Specifically, Kane.

            "I just wanted you to say you liked him…" Max sighed. _Maybe Britt can live a normal life after all…wait does Kane know about her?_ Wait till Judy hears about this. She would know…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            The Celestials were training, again, as the Bladebreakers and the Psychics neared. 

            "It's you again." Said Tyson

            From underneath the lenses, Wing glared as Flame's blade abruptly returned to his hand.

            "You don't want us knowing your strategies." Commented Max

            "Wow, after so many years with Judy, you finally learn there's more to blading than sugar."

            "I don't eat sugar a lot. I just like being happy, that's all."

            "Right…" said Aqua sceptically.

            "Let's go," said Storm, breaking the conversation.

            He walked off in the direction of the stadium, and the team followed. 

            Tyson growled. He started after the teens who were walking away before his foot caught onto something and he tripped. 

            "What's this?" he asked as he picked up a chain. It was clear in colour and blended into his hand and the grass below. If he weren't looking for it, it would have been invisible. The other end of it was caught underneath a rock. 

            Lin removed the rock and held up the chain. 

            Tyson, holding the other end, lifted it off Lin's palm and studied it in the sunlight. 

            "Interesting…" said Hilary

            "Really…" replied Kenny, "But I don't know what it is…"

            Tyson threw it on the ground. "Doesn't matter. It's not useful or else no one would leave it lying here." 

            "But Tyson, there are a ton of things people drop that are useful. Like wallets for example."

            "The chances of finding a wallet is zilch." Replied Tyson. "Let's go." 

            "Uh Tyson?" asked Max, "Do you know where the Psychics are?"

            Tyson looked around. "No…"

            "They probably went inside," Max concluded.

            "Alright, let's go."

            Tyson led the way, followed by Hilary, Kenny, Max and  Lin. Ray stood at the back of the line and bent down, retrieving the fallen object. Quietly, he pocketed it.

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was the second round of the second block in the Semi finals of the World Beyblading Championships. 

            "Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Let's hear it for our contestants Max of the Bladebreakers and Flame of the Celestials!"

            The crowd burst into applause and screams of  "I love you Max."

            Max winced.

            "I'm your announcer Brad Best with my assistant AJ Topper!"

            "Thanks Brad. I'm looking forward to seeing this match myself today. It is going to be very interesting."

            "You bet. Now let's see the stats."

            "Way to go, Brad. Flame here is all for the attack, as we've seen throughout the tournament this last week. No sign of a bit beast yet, though."

            "Note the emphasis on 'yet'."

            "While Max is all in defence. This happy go lucky character can really get serious with Draciel."

            "Right on there. This will be interesting. If Flame doesn't change his strategy, then Max will wear him out. But if Max tries to attack, then he's definitely not up to scratch."

            "Don't say that, you'll upset the fans."

            "Wow. I have fans?"

            AJ sighed audibly.

            "Alright," announced Jazzman, "3…2…1…"

            "LET IT RIP"

            Max wasted no time, since he knew Flame would attack. "Draciel, defend."

            Flame smirked. "No good blader uses the same strategy twice." He said

            "What?"

            "Triple destruction bomb attack!" Flame ordered

            "Draciel, Heavy Viper Wall!" 

            So as Max' blade glowed purple, Flame's blue one circled it, attacking from all sides. 

            The gigantic turtle bit beast blew Flame's blade off the course. The blade glowed.

            "You're starting to irritate me," growled Flame. "Knock his defences helpless!" he screamed.

            His blade tilted at one angle and hit at the base of the blade, avoiding the attack ring and the weight disk.

            "Hey, that's no fair."

            "Um Jazzman, is that in the books?"

            "Well, the judges are deciding if it is fair to attack below the weight disk."

            Mr. Dickinson gave a nod. 

            "It's legal" Jazzman screamed.

            Max stepped back. "DRACIEL GET HIM OFF OF YOU!"

            Draciel, too, tilted so that his green attack ring rubbed against the top of Flame's and sent sparks everywhere.

            Flame smiled. Just what he was looking for. "NOW, FINISH HIM OFF!!!" he screamed

            "FINAL ATTACK!"

            The top of the attack ring exploded into flame, and the blade tilted so it leant on the other side, acting as a lever and throwing Draciel off the stadium. 

            "Wow, that was one sweet win."

            "I guess they are right when they say the Celestials are an unpredictable bunch."

            "And Flame takes this match for the Celestials!"

            The blade shot back up to its owner's hand and he held it high for the crowd to see. Then he turned and walked back to his team.

            Max picked up his blade, and then pulled away from it.

            "What is it?" asked Tyson.

            Max invited Tyson to touch it, and he too flinched. 

            "What's the matter?" asked Ray

            "It feels like it's burning."

            "Huh?" 

            "No seriously. It's so hot."

            Draciel glowed softly.

            "How did he get this kind of power? And his bit beast hasn't even come out yet."

            "I don't know." Said Kenny, rapidly typing. 

            "Wait."

            "What is it Dizzi?"

            "Oh nothing, just a fluke."

            "Right."

            "Wait there it is again."

            Kenny peered at the screen. 

            "I caught this on my ultraviolet light. There's some sort of activity inside the bit chip. It looks like the bit beast is spinning along with the blade."

            "I get it. So that means that Flame did actually call out his bit beast, but it stayed in the blade."

            "Chief, I lost you at the fourth word."

            "The bit beast is radiating its energy from inside the blade."

            "Wow."

            "I've never seen it happen before."

            "He must be a very skilled blader."

            "Here's something even more shocking."

            Dizzi showed some more footage of the battle. Draciel was getting attacked from all angles.

            "Now watch as I slow it down."

            Ray gasped. "No way."

            "I didn't notice it. It was going too fast."

            "None of us did, Max."

            Tyson watched it. "That's my attack."

            "Exactly my point." 

            "No one knows how to do Dragoon's attack except for me."

            "Right. What does that say about him?"

            "Either Tyson's told him the secret to how Dragoon attacks…"

            "Nope, never would do that."

            "Or he's been watching us so closely that he's figured it out."

            "I think the latter is more likely."

            "But how-?"

            "I wish I knew, Max. I wish I knew."

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Flame casually stroked his blade. In a warm spring day like this, there was nothing better to do than stay inside. He took a sip out of the coffee cup beside him for pleasure. He never knew why Max would get high on even the smell of sugar, whereas he could have six cups of coffee but still not get hyper. Guess he was himself.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            In the headquarters of Biovolt in Japan, Boris sat at the computer, casually clicking away.

            A knock was heard at the door.

            "Come in."

            The boy known as Ian walked through the door.

            "What do you want?"

            "Sir, we have intruders."

            "Well, kill them."

            "But…"

            Boris turned to face the short boy. 

            "What?" 

            "Nothing."

            After Ian left, Tomas walked into the room. 

            "Ah, Tomas. I was waiting for you."

            Tomas glared. "Why do you want me, sir?" He said the last word as if mocking him.

            Whether Boris noticed or not, he would never know, because he made no comment about it. "I want to talk to you about that blade of yours."

            "What about it?"

            "Do you not realize that the only times we've ever let you use it was during computer simulations?"

            "Yes."

            "Do you not realize the damage this blade has caused in past years."

            "But Hiwatari was able to master it."

            "Kai is different."

            "I'm just as strong as him."

            "Maybe. What I'm trying to tell you is that you can't use it unless it is _absolutely necessary._"

            "Then what's the point of me being on the team then?"

            "You're to get him back."

            "And so what if he comes back? So what? We're just as good as your original plans for the _perfect Beyblading team_."

            "Yet you have failed to meet my expectations yet, and the Crimson Sabres has always gone above and beyond."

            "Yet Marina ran away. The Demolition Boys would never do that."

            "Do you consider Tala Ivanov to be a Demolition Boy?"

            "No…I mean…Yes…I mean I don't know. He was a part of both teams."

            "See what I mean?"

            "So what if you rebuild the best Blading team in the world? And then what would you do? Why do you want _me_ and the Demolition boys to get them back anyway? We know there's nothing in for us. Once the Crimson Sabres are reunited, then we'll be useless anyway. Because you will have your _Ultimate Blading Team_." Tomas screamed.

            Boris backed away and pushed a button on the counter behind him.

            "You need a punishment for talking to your master like that." He sneered and two men in black robes came into the room and grabbed Tomas' arms. 

            _Oh now what have I done?_ Asked Tomas to himself. _I didn't mean to blow up like that…_ He relaxed in the arms of the two men. If he struggled, the punishment will still be worse. 

The blade on the floor glowed scarlet, pumping hate into his veins. At that moment, Tomas forgot everything. He glowered at Boris, and started punching the two guards that were holding him tight.

On the floor, Black Dranzer smirked a fiendish bit beast smirk. She wasn't going to cooperate. She was going to get Kai herself.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            "LET IT RIP!" the two boys were battling it out in the second match.

            _What is he thinking now?_ Asked Max to himself

            "ATTACK" Flame shouted to his blade. 

            "DRACIEL DODGE IT!" 

            Flame was taken completely by surprise. He had expected Max to defend, not dodge. 

            "You think you can match me on speed?" His blade swerved in front of Draciel and stopped it from moving forward.

            Max smiled. Everything was going according to the plan they had devised earlier.

            "Attack." Said Max, and Draciel rushed toward its opponent, pushing it up onto the lip of the bowl.

            "Worked on some other people, won't work on me. Rapid Fire," he called and the blade pushed him back into the centre of the dish. Then it took off and spun on the side. 

            "What are you doing?" asked Max

            "Nothing that concerns the likes of you," he replied. Then he paused. "Scratch that. It concerns your downfall."

            "I wouldn't be counting on that." He said. 

            "Will you?" asked Flame 

            "Draciel, begin defence strategy now."

            "Is that useless or what?" The blue blade hit Draciel from behind, and then seemed to multiply as Draciel was hit from all sides.

            "Oh no, Draciel's in trouble."

            "Finally you get the point."

            "Uh…"

            "FINAL ATTACK!" he screamed, and the blade rushed right to the centre of the stadium, where Draciel was standing, and knocked it off.

            "Draciel…" Max croaked weakly at his shattered blade.

            "How could you?" asked Tyson. "You won. You didn't need to destroy his blade."

            But Flame was gone already.

            Ray walked up to the beydish, and took out his blade. Opposite him, Wing started walking up to it. She held up her blade, and it flashed red. Then she attached it to her launcher.

            "You're not getting away with this," Ray said.

            Wing just smirked.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

That was a long chapter. Yes that was. But I won't be updating in a long while so I guess it makes up…I think

Well Here's the reviewers!

Britt: I just had to put you in there. You've never actually been out for a few long chapters…hope it wasn't cruddy like all my fluff is. Ah well…

Phoenix the 1st: Oh SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING!!!!! *sobs in your lap* I really didn't mean it…I know you won't get mad…Anyway you can send me forewords, I will read  them, I won't send them around. 

Demon's-gurl: I HATE SCHOOL. Trust me, I'm trying my best. School's killing me and I'm also kinda sick. So again, I'll try, no guarantees. I know exactly how you feel. *glarez at Ice Archer Girl for not updating for like three weeks* Anyway, I can't compare myself to her, she's way too good…

Nessi: No I never. Well I kinda now, but I can't watch every eppie just because it's impossible with the amount of work I have and to top it off, it's at a very inconvenient time here. No I don't have MSN, though I love to talk ^_^ When are YOU going to update?

The Tigris: *pats you on the back* It's okay. But you still should try, it's going along very very smoothly.

Dranzen: Oh good. I mean it. I love your opinions, it gives me a lot to talk about. I've had many a person ask me about Flame and Kai. Really, I can't disagree or agree, since it would ruin the plot. I'll just say that if you read the way I word things, you might see a trend. Carolyn kind of likes Kai. I mean a lot. But I guess she is kind of evil. She knows the Bladebreakers because of some past experience I was going to write in my prequel, but she turned out to be so Mary sueish. It's okay that you don't like her. I don't like some of my characters. [hint hint Lin.] but she's fun to write. Anyway, back to Carolyn, every OC has a bit of the author in it. Lin's got my hyper ness, and my deadly crush on Ray that I know will never get anywhere. Carolyn's my evil/depressed/serious side, and the side that loves Kai with all her heart, knowing that he will never like her back. No this is not a Kai/OC fic…way overused…and also, [Oh no, *zips lips* way too many spoilers in this rant.]

Vampyre Neko: Nope, Flattery gets you nowhere, but I try to read my reviewers' [even if I don't review] stories, so you are in luck…except you have so many of them…It's hard…I'll get around to it…In the meantime, hope you like the fic.

DragonPhoenix77: Okay, sorry for forgetting that part…I'll try.


	21. Wings of a Dream

UniGirl: Can you believe it? I actually updated! It was a bit before when I originally intended, but hey, you're not complaining. I'm still busy, though. ;.; Also, if you haven't noticed yet, I redid the bios, put them up in the front. Bios for Carolyn and Marina are going to be up soon. They aren't who you think they are.

Okay, I owe all of you a long chapter…

            The Wings of a Dream

            Ray held out his launcher threateningly to Wing, as she stood there calmly.

            "Come on," he urged.

            Wing smirked and walked away. "You're pathetic. We have a break."

            The crowd roared in laughter as Ray blushed furiously.

            Wing smirked again.

            /You do that often./ commented Aqua

            /What's it to you?/

            /Well, why don't you try smiling properly?/

            /Um…what about the word, No?/

            /Right…/ she replied sarcastically

            /What should we do in this break?/ asked Storm

            /Eat lunch? We have an hour./

            /Ray's clock is really wrong./

            /Yeah./

            Flame took out a black cell phone, and started talking in it rapidly. In minutes, a black limo pulled up in front of the stadium.

            /Flame, the place is a three minute drive from here./

            /Who cares?/

            /No one, I guess./

            The limo was silent; Aqua sat in the front, while everyone else sat in the back.

            "Master,"

            Flame's head jerked up to see their restaurant in front of them.

            "We'll stop here," said Flame as he walked inside.

            "We're finally here!" said Tyson as he walked inside the restaurant.

            "Yeah, we haven't eaten since this morning." Replied Kenny

            "Let's settle down and get ourselves some food."

            "Tyson, settle down."

            "I don't think it's possible for him," laughed Lin

            Ray spoke up. "Firstly, who's paying the bill?"

            Tyson instinctively turned around to look at someone who would have normally been there.

            "Tyson, the rich kid isn't here," said Hilary.

            Tyson groaned.

            "I'll pay," said Lin.

            "You have money?" asked Ray in astonishment.

            "Yeah. Well, except for Tyson."

            "WHAT?"

            "At least I'm not making you pay for everyone else."

            Ray looked behind them. "Oh." He said

            Everyone turned around.

            Hilary groaned. "Why do we have to keep on running into them?" she asked

            The waiter came over to their table, "Can I take your order?" she asked.

            Aqua nodded. "Yes you can, or else you wouldn't be here."

            The waiter blushed slightly and Storm kicked her under the table.

            /What was that for?/

            /If you want food, then go./

            "So anyway," said Aqua, "I would like a soup and a halibut."

            After they had ordered, Wing folded up her menu and leaned back on her chair.

            /She's planning out her battle moves/ Aqua commented in a low voice, /Don't bother her./

            Sure, it looked like she was deep in thought. She didn't move and her breathing was slow and even.

            Flame crossed his arms until he saw someone coming his way.

            "Why won't you leave us alone?" he asked as the neko-jin neared.

            "I was wondering the same thing," he replied curtly.

            "Ray, c'mon."

            "What are you doing?"

            "Dropping by."

            "You're not here only to tell me 'hi.'"

            "No."

            Wing leaned forward. "If you want us to tell you all our secrets, you have to wait till after our battle."

            Ray looked a bit taken aback, and walked back to his table.

            Wing glared, though it had little effect.

            Ray was deep in thought. There was something going on. He couldn't get the last talk with Yaleri out of his head.

Flashback

            "Yaleri. You're here. Who's he?" he had asked

            "I don't think you all know who we are." He had answered. He had looked at the crowd. Him, Lin, Mariah, Michael, Johnny, Kane, and Ozuma.

            "I'm Kariey, and this is Yaleri."

            "Where's Eltila?" asked Michael.

            "She couldn't come today."

            "What?"

            "I know, she usually is able to come."

            Kariey, who had been silent, was glaring hard at a certain person.

            Finally, Ozuma plucked up the courage to speak.

            "Kariey, what's that?" he asked, eyeing a scar on his left shoulder.

            Kariey glared, and the crowd shrunk back.

            "Nothing," he growled.

            "May I ask what happened today?"

            "No."

            "I wonder what's the matter?" asked Kane.

            "Kariey is scary when he's not in a good mood."

            "I figured that out."

            Again, he glared.

            "Yaleri,"

            "Yes, Ray?"

            "Why are you in your battle costumes?"

            "No one's safe these days."

            "Are you coming back?"

            "When all you Mages are, yes."

            "Who's the last mage?"

            "You have to find that yourself."

            "Do you know?"

            Kariey butted in. "Um, let me see, how about yes?"

            Ray sighed. He was sure he didn't like this Kariey guy, Guardian or no.

End Flashback

            "Ray, it's almost time for the battle, the food's here, and you haven't eaten yet."

            "Tyson, you can have it. I'm not hungry," he said tiredly.

            "NOT HUNGRY? WOW!" exclaimed Tyson.

            Ray shook his head, but couldn't help but grin good naturedly as Tyson shovelled the food into his mouth.

            The battle was about to begin. Ray was a bit nervous, though he would never admit it.

            Wing, on the other hand, was confident as can be.

            "LET IT RIP!"

            The race was on, as both the white blades chased each other around the stadium a few times.

            Wing decided to go offensive first. "ATTACK!" she yelled, and her blade ran straight toward Ray's, which dodged with ease.

            "Nice miss."

            Wing cursed under her breath.

            "Driger attack" Ray ordered

            Wing's blade dodged it.

            "Dèjá-vu,"  said Dizzi

            "You think you can match me on speed?" asked Ray, as he sped towards the other blade again.

            "You know what? I think so," replied Wing smugly as she ordered her blade to dodge.

            Ray tailed Wing for a while, and then the battle switched sides.

            Wing chased Ray, bumping into it occasionally.

            Finally, Driger crashed Wing into the wall of the stadium, sending sparks into the air.

            Wing let a bit of nervousness show on her face. She grunted, and her blade spun faster.

            Ray was impatient, this battle could have ended. "DRIGER" he screamed, and his Driger rushed towards the other blade, knocking it backwards.

            "Rapid Spin," Wing ordered, and the blade landed right on top of Ray's.

            "DRIGER!" Screamed Ray, calling on the White Tiger.

            Wing grinned as she saw this, "Keep at him," she urged.

            The grin didn't last long, because at the at moment, her blade seemed to stop and crash to the side of the stadium. It only took a nudge from Driger to stop it spinning.

            Ray caught his blade as Wing picked up hers. Her face was expressionless as she walked into the changing room.

            Ray sighed. Did Wing really try her hardest? Was that a real win? He wasn't sure, but his nervousness dropped slightly.

            "That was great, Ray" came Kenny's voice.

            Ray smiled sheepishly.

            "Really great, man, you kicked butt," said Tyson. "I guess we will get to the finals after all," Ray couldn't help but give Tyson a high five.

            Kenny was analysing the data from the battle. It seemed that Wing was very good at attack, defence, and speed, but she had no strategy.

            "Not to mention no bit beast," said Tyson.

            "That I wouldn't count on," said Max. "I mean Flame was way too good without a bit beast."

            "He had one, Max."

            "Oh, yeah."

            "If Flame had one, then Wing certainly should."

            "I don't get it, my first impression of Wing was that she was tough."

            "She is, she just doesn't have a brain."

            "Right," said Ray absent mindedly.

            Wing pulled her ripcord. Then again. Her blade lay forgotten on the table. Sparks flew from it.

            /Whoa, girl, calm./

            Wing spun around and Aqua backed away.

            She spoke, "Don't tell me what to do and not do."

            Aqua hit the wall. Wing's voice was deadly calm and icy.

            She bent down and picked up her blade. Then she walked to the beydish. She pulled, and with tremendous force, her blade hit the dish, making a dent. She watched it spin for a while, attacking thin air, zigzagging across the dish with all its speed. Then she caught it, and a smirk fluttered on her face.

            Aqua relaxed.

            /A plan?/ she asked.

            /Yes, a plan./ was the reply.

            The second round was on, with the two blade spinning around each other before Ray closed in for the kill.

            Wing's blade jumped out of reach.

            Wing smirked. It landed on top of Ray's, so the blades were balancing, Wing's bouncing on the top.

            Then Wing jumped off and headed for the edge of the stadium.

            "Everyone in your team does that," said Ray.

            "Maybe,"

            Gathering speed, the blade pushed against Ray.

            "Summon your bit beast, I know you have one."

            Wing smirked. "Maybe later."

"DRIGER TIGER CLAW" screamed Ray, and his blade pushed Wing's to the other side of the dish.

With a final nudge, it pushed the other blade off.

Jazzman was about to announce Ray the winner when Wing's white blade attacked Ray's.

"What happened?"

"Blades can go everywhere. FINAL ATTACK!"

One could just see the blade turn red as it rushed in for the kill.

            Then it was over.

            Dizzi gasped in surprise.

            "What?" asked Max.

            "She was toying with Ray all along," Dizzi said.

            Ray walked back and sat down. "What's wrong?" he asked

            Dizzi slowed the picture down, so that they could see every one of Wing's moves before she landed on top of Driger.

            Max's eyes widened.

            "No way," said Tyson.

            "Ray, you were wrong."

            Ray mentally hit himself, "I should have known."

            "Huh?"

            "Kai's smarter than that. He wouldn't go into hiding as a boy that has a blade exactly like his, and almost the same hair, and…"

            "You're right," said Hilary, "We've been misled."

            "Duh, but who ever thought Kai would become a girl?" asked Tyson

            "We never know."

            "And we might not even be right," said Dizzi.

            "How can we be wrong. That was definitely Kai's "Spiral Survivor" attack."

            "Well, I don't want to believe anything yet," said Kenny.

            "Who knew Kai was a good actor?" asked Tyson

            "I did," said Ray.

            Everyone eyed him.

            "Well, I mean, even in the toughest situations he was calm. He must have been nervous. And he acts like he doesn't care."

            "He doesn't" said Tyson.

            "Um…Tyson??" asked Hilary

            "He doesn't care. He's betrayed us before, and now he's doing it again. He better have a good reason, other than power."

            "I don't think it's for power, Tyson," said Kenny, "These bladers have no name in the world, and we're the champions. I think he's got a good reason."

            "Guys, would you mind explaining?" asked Lin

            "Oh sorry,"

            "Don't worry, I've watched all of your battles, and Mariah has told me about them."

            "Mariah?" asked Ray.

            "Yes, her."

            "What did you hear about Kai?"

            "Oh him? I heard that he's a jerk."

            "Lin…"

            "Well, that's what Mariah told me."

            "Mariah didn't like him a lot."

            "I can see that, and I can also see why you miss him, I mean, from what I've heard, he was your strongest blader."

            "He was not," said Tyson.

            "Well, you aren't either. Anyway, he told us that he hasn't betrayed us. Ray told me about the letter."

            "Oh yeah, the letter," said Kenny.

            "He wasn't lying."

            "How do you know that?" asked Max.

            Ray shot a nervous glance at Lin. "Well, the last time he turned evil, he left without a trace. At least now he's telling you that he left."

            "And what does that prove?"

            "That he doesn't want to leave."

            Ray sighed, "Lin, I never knew you were this philosophical."

            "I'm not."

            Ray found the third battle harder than the first two. Not only was this the battle that decided whether the Bladebreakers will be out of the running, but he was battling who he decided was his friend.

            And Wing didn't care.

            Everything was going according to how she wanted it.

            Ray clenched his teeth together. There was one more thing he needed to do before he decided anything.

            "GO DRIGER" he screamed.  The white tiger came, his teeth bared.

            Wing smirked.

            Ray watched her, that smirk was so familiar.

            "You wanted to see my bit beast, ne?" she asked Ray.

            Ray nodded, dreading the result. If it was not Dranzer, then he would be fine. If it was…he didn't want to think about it.

            "ALRIGHT!" she screamed triumphantly. Her blade glowed, and the phoenix rose out of it.

            "Surprised?" she smirked.

            Driger growled.

            "Well, now that your spirit's broken, I should have no problem. FLAME SABRE!" she screamed

            Dranzer rushed toward its long lost friend, knocking it off, destroying the blade.

            Wing smirked again.

            She caught the blade. _The same way Kai used to…_thought Ray.

            _What happened?_ He asked himself silently.

            From behind the scenes, the real Kai Hiwatari watched. He felt in his pocket, where the real Dranzer lay. Something was fishy around here; bit beasts could not be forged or recreated in any way. How did this girl get his Dranzer, the same appearance, the same attack, yet not the same beings.

            And he felt he owed the Bladebreakers an explanation.

            Tyson growled low in his throat. "I never liked him anyway," he said.

            "C'mon, Ty, we know you care."

            "I DON'T"

            Max put a hand on Tyson's shoulder. "It's okay."

            "It's not okay. He lied to us. He betrayed us…a second time. I mean, I thought once was enough…and he seems to enjoy it."

            "What's he after?" Lin mused, "He didn't take your bit beast…"

            "He wants the World Champs." said Hilary

            "I'm pretty sure he doesn't. He never used to care"

            "But now we know how good of an actor he is."

            "You have a point there."

            A tall figure walked towards the judges' table. He had a hood pulled over his face, which was shrouded with shadow. The brown cloak went down to his feet, where black boots were just visible.

            Mr. Dickinson eyed him, "How may I help you?"

            "I'd like to see the Bladebreakers."

            "Sorry, but the Bladebreakers have specifically requested no one see them at this time."

            The figure sighed, frustration evident in his voice. He pulled back his hood and the remains of the crowd who had not yet gone home turned, surprise, anger, even excitement surged through the crowd.

            Mr. Dickinson looked up into auburn eyes, a mass of blue and grey hair, and matching triangles on the teen's face.

            "I'd like to see the Bladebreakers," he repeated.

Nope, not as long as I'd thought it to be, a cliffie so that you could all review and make me happy. This was the chapter that I actually first planned Kai to make his debut in this fic, but my reviewers convinced me otherwise. So, now, I've just twisted the fic around, and, let me tell you, Wing's an evil child, she is.

PLEASE REVIEW! I love all of you! Also, I'd just like to apologise again for not updating, school does wear one out. I will try my best, no guarantees. Also, it's because I've gotten into the habit of writing long chapters, and I like it that way. Thanks!

Feya: Really? Even some of the worse fics in here have like two hundred reviews. Go ask me sometime, I can name some for you to look at. Very poorly written. I'm not going to answer them any time soon…well, if I can help it. It's really harder than you think. spits on ground don't you wish Mary Sue never existed?

SDSilverDragon: I blew you away? Wow, I'm so honoured. There are a ton of good stuff out there, and a ton of bad, I might say…but lil old me? Wow! blushes a very deep shade of red

Nessi: I'm always changing the chapters because I edit them, find them too short, and then combine them. I'm thinking of writing out the Tyson/Kane battle when I have time, and some other ones I shortcutted, being the lazy bum I am. Usually you lay out the plot before you start writing…

The Tigris: Well, it took you long enough…-,-U

Dranzen: I know he should, but hey, he hates Kai, bet Kai hates him back…wait, I'm spoiling you again…Your OC should not be an exact copy of you, cause that turns into self insertionism. I mean that's not good. Oh, just for reference and to help, you can google "mary sue litmus test" and then take the original one for your OC. Hey, don't worry, one of mine [won't tell which] didn't get borderline. That's why I had to seriously change her character…If you want, you could go talk to Feya sometime…she writes POTO and they're a group of major Mary Sue bashers.

Britt: I try not to do too much fluff, I'm not a fluff writer, and I'm more of an action/fantasy/angst writer. But hey, everyone's got a starting point.

Vampyre Neko: I did not get the Japanese in the beginning…I noticed a lot of people are under homework pressure, there aren't a lot of updates recently.

Also, if you're uncomfortable about the Bladebreakers not being in the finals, I've got a spoiler for you, just in case. I don't like loosing readers…so email me if you want. There's counts fingers if everything goes to plan, there'll be 8-9 more chapters, and it's off to the sequel…wait…that's a lot of work…sighs Review and relieve me from being so depressed.

I also changed my bio, check that out. I assure you, the quotes will scar you for life. And if you want more life scarring quotes, you can go to www.fanfiction.netfeya

I might sound normal here, but in reality, I am one screwed up kid. And it's all her fault! points accusingly at Feya

Feya: It's not my fault I'm messed up…[direct quote]


	22. The Glory of the Phoenix

* * *

UniGirl: Okay, guys, I know I haven't updated. My computer's files all got lost during a freak accident, and I was done my chapter. I couldn't type it up again until now. [I've been told that before I send my computer for fixing, I should burn my files onto a disk. I've been told about ten times. Don't tell me again, save my time and yours.] And Homework's driving me nuts. I thank all of you for bearing with me until I back up all my files again. Sorry for the long wait, sorry for the cliffhanger.

Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to [in no particular order] Phoenix the 1st, Nessi, SilverWingPhoenix, and Dranzen. Let's just say that you guys read very carefully, aren't afraid to make assumptions, and tell the authoress in her face. I could do the first two, I couldn't rack up the courage to do the third.

I'm not _so_ intimidating, am I?

Feya: Sometimes.

UniGirl: You haven't seen Kerobe at his best yet. Right, I wouldn't want to know what Desiree was like too. At least she doesn't sound _too_ complicated.

* * *

The Glory of the Phoenix

The Bladebreakers were sitting together. Tyson stared straight, unable to say anything, Kenny looked shocked, Ray had his head in his hands, refusing to look up, and Lin was leaning against Ray, her head against his shoulder. Hilary was pacing in a corner, and Max sitting at the table, looking very solemn. Then, when he could not take the silence any longer, Tyson started crying.

"I hate him…I hate him for everything he's done…" he said between sobs.

Hilary went over to comfort him.

"He betrayed us before…I thought he would not do it a second time…he knows…knows…knows our…"

Hilary put a hand on his shoulder, "It's hard for all of us to swallow."

Tyson could only nod.

Max stood up and walked over to his best friend. "Tyson…it's…it's okay."

"It's not okay," said a voice quietly in the corner, "He betrayed us once, we forgave him. He can't expect us to do that again."

Ray still had his head in his hands.

"And I thought, after all the years that we had been together, he learned a thing or two about team spirit," commented Kenny. The mood was so tense that there was not a word from his laptop.

"All this time…he's been a power hungry freak."

There was a knock at the door. Max ran to get it, yet, as he saw Mr. Dickinson, he was suspicious. "We didn't want visitors."

Mr. Dickinson regarded him with a strange look. It might have even been pity. "Still, I have someone who would like to meet you."

Ray got up and glared, his features suddenly becoming cat like. "Now is not the right time."

A voice said quietly, "There will never be a right time."

All of the Bladebreakers' heads snapped up as Kai appeared from behind Mr. Dickinson.

Lin was first to speak. "You're Kai Hiwatari…"

Kai nodded.

Mr. Dickinson left the room, closing the door behind him. Tyson opened his mouth.

"Yes, I have a lot of explaining to do." Kai said, before he could say anything.

He closed his mouth again.

Kai walked to the window and, crossing his arms, he leaned against it, and closed his eyes.

After about thirty seconds of silence, he opened them again, and he caught the room all staring at him, waiting.

With a deep breath, he started with a question. "Do you want the long version or the short one?"

Kenny considered this for a while, and replied, "Short."

"It wasn't me."

The eyes of the Bladebreakers, if possible, went even wider than they were before.

"Then who was it?" demanded Tyson.

"Wing."

"How did she get your bit beast?"

"She didn't."

Tyson backed off, a puzzled expression on his face.

Hilary expressed the thoughts of everyone in that room. "I don't think I get it."

Kai's reply was exactly the opposite of what everyone had expected. "I don't either."

Kenny was the first person to put all the logic together. "You had Dranzer the whole time."

A slight nod was seen.

Looking around, Kai was certain that they didn't believe him. He didn't blame them, they had a right to be skeptical.

Ray tried to change the subject, as he noticed that Kai was getting uncomfortable, "Have you heard from Carolyn?"

Kai almost jumped. "Why?"

"Oh, I saw her a few days ago."

"You did?"

"Okay, I saw Aquilla."

Kai decided to tell a half truth, "Not very recently."

Tyson looked disappointed. "Why? I thought she would be calling you every night and confessing her undying love to you."

Kai wanted to puke. Him and Carolyn? Never. They didn't even know half the story.

"Carolyn and I have been rivals from the day we set eyes upon each other."

"You only knew her for a few months before she left."

Kai knew it was too late to take it back. He mentally hit himself. _Why did I have to let that slip? Now of all times?_ He thought. He chose not to speak.

Max looked at him reproachfully. "Why aren't you answering? Did you make a mistake and tell us something that you didn't want us to know? Is that what you have been doing all this time, talking to Carolyn, plotting against us…"

Kai gave him a death glare. "I want nothing to do with Carolyn, understand?"

Max kept silent.

Flashback

"You look lost."

"No."

"Are you new to Tokyo?"

"Just leave me alone, will you?"

"I can't leave you alone here, it's pouring and freezing."

"It's not as cold as where I come from."

"Come on, I'll take you back to where I'm staying, you can dry off, and be on your way again."

"What are you plotting, because I'm sure not falling for it."

"Okay, let's start again. What's your name?"

"Why do you want to know? Just let me go."

"Mine's Max. Max Tate."

"Wait a minute. You're _the_ Max Tate?"

"Huh?"

"Judy Tate's son? From the Bladebreakers?"

"That's me."

"Oh. Mine's Carolyn."

"Carolyn…"

"Carolyn's all you need to know right now."

End Flashback

She just wanted to use all of them. She just wanted to gain their trust and use it against them. She was mean and rude. He knew that. But he knew something else that none of the other Bladebreakers, not even Kai, knew: Carolyn could not be trusted, at all costs.

Some of his tension must have shown on Max's face, because Tyson asked, "What's up, Maxie?"

"Oh, nothing."

Tyson's stomach rumbled. "Let's go for dinner."

"I'm not hungry," said Kai immediately.

"Can't you come along?"

"I'm not going to pay."

Tyson pouted.

* * *

Max arrived back in the hotel room, tired and exhausted. He needed his sleep.

Unluckily, his wish was not fulfilled.

A woman stood on the balcony, her figure looking seemingly mysterious as white became grey in the night. Her hair covered her face; her expression was unreadable. Max blinked. She was gone.

Lin crossed the room.

When she left, Max looked back at the balcony, to see the short, slender figure.

She lifted her head and looked toward him, as if beckoning him to come closer.

He didn't want to. He knew he shouldn't have. But he did anyway.

"Who are you?"

The woman did not respond.

"Huh?"

Finally, she spoke. "You may have heard of me."

"What's your name?"

"I am known by many names, but you may call me Eltila."

Max racked his brains. "Eltila…Ray's talked about you…wait…Aren't you one of the bosses of those people who can talk to bit beasts?"

"We hardly think of it that way, but now that you mention it, it is partly true."

"What do you want with me?"

"I just want you to pass a message on to Ray."

"Why not tell him yourself?"

Eltila shot him a glare. Obviously, she was not used to being retorted to.

"Because…because I would not like him to ask me questions I cannot answer."

"So what is it you want to tell him?"

"There is a betrayer among us. A betrayer of the worst kind."

"Right, sounds like something from a sappy film."

Again, Eltila shot him a glare.

"Tell him in the exact words I said them. Farewell."

"Wait. Where do you think…?"

Eltila had vanished.

* * *

It was a habit of Ray's to get up early and take a shower before everyone else. It was much easier to do now, since Kai wasn't here. He was always up earlier.

After a short shower, Ray stepped out and dressed. Then he started on his hair. That was another reason to get up so early. He usually spent around half an hour doing his hair. The perk? It hardly every got loose. Even when he was blading. There was the exception that his opponent's name was Bryan, of course.

He was doing up the last part when Max woke up.

"Good Morning, Max."

"Morning." He yawned.

Ray finished with his hair. He eyed Max curiously.

"What?"

"Fascinating woman, isn't she?"

"Huh?"

"C'mon Max, tell me about Eltila."

"How did you know?"

"Not many people get to see her. And she always leaves an impact."

"Oh, she told me to tell you that there's a betrayer among you, the worst betrayer."

"Right. And why did she ask you to pass the message?"

"She didn't want you asking questions."

Ray raised an eyebrow. _What does she mean by the "worst betrayer?" Does that mean it's someone I would never expect?_ He wondered to himself.

* * *

Tension was building up between the two teams as the Demolition Boys and the Celestials walked onto the stage. Jazzman explained the new rules, stating that every blader battled in a best out of three match, and, should it be necessary, the whole teams would battle in the same dish for the tiebreaker.

Flame would battle first with Spencer, then Aqua with Ian, Storm with Bryan, and Wing with Tomas. How BioVolt persuaded the leader vs. leader rule to change is beyond anyone's comprehension, but, as we all say, the world revolves on cash.

He gritted his teeth. _Okay, don't panic._

_Why would you?_

_Because…_

_Snap out of it, you're good and you know it._

_ Never in my life would I ever think to hear Wing say that._

Wing smirked.

The two of them "let it rip," and their blades landed squarely on the dish.

Before Flame let his opponent have any time to think, he was pounding him with a shower of attacks.

Spencer held his ground, slowly he started pushing back.

Flame only smirked.

"SEABORG"

Flame bit his lip. "ATTACK" he screamed.

The two of them rammed at each other. Finally Flame's blade got pushed off the lip of the dish.

It was still spinning when Flame caught it in his hand, sweating, and Jazzman announced him the winner of the round.

Needless to say, that match was not a relaxing one.

Spencer walked back to his team.

_He's good._ Remarked Aqua

_We kind of all know that. _

_ Still. _

* * *

"That was close," said Tyson

"Who are you rooting for?"

"I hate both of them."

"Speaking of hate, where did Kai go to?"

"Not sure."

"Probably grouching in a corner like he always is."

"Tyson, we all know you care."

"Me? Care? Never."

"I hope he comes back, the team's not the same without him."

"Lin, you've never even seen the team without him."

Lin shrugged.

"I have a theory. I think he's in the movies with his girlfriend."

"Ty, if Kai ever finds out you refer to Carolyn as his girlfriend, you are dead meat."

"Pah, who cares?"

"I think he does."

"Don't sweat chief, I can beat him any day?"

Kenny sighed.

Ray was thinking about what Max had said earlier. _Well, if one of us is a traitor, it's probably the one that hasn't come yet, the second mage of water. _He looked around. _Which of the bladers have a bit beast of water?_

* * *

Flame walked back up onto the stadium. It was not like him to underestimate his opponents, so he was still tense.

Spencer walked up on the other side.

"3…2…1…LET IT RIP!"

The cords got pulled, and the blades flew in, nearly hitting the sound barrier.

At first, it was a wild goose chase. Spencer chased him around the stadium a few times, and then vice versa. When they made contact, sparks flew in the air.

Flame gritted his teeth. _Hang on there…_ he thought silently to himself.

"SEABORG ATTACK" the whale bit beast sprouted from its chip.

Flame had to keep himself from stepping back. It had gotten stronger over these years. How was he ever going to defeat it without his last resort?

"What? Are you scared?"

"You wish." He said through gritted teeth.

It pushed him back toward the lip.

_Okay, time to use a trick Wing taught me._

With a small backwards motion, his blade shot out of the way, and the force almost made Seaborg fall off the dish. Luckily for Spencer, it pulled back just in time.

Flame clenched his fists. He was giving everything he had. And that guy still didn't back down.

Spencer rammed against Flame's blade. He could practically feel it slowing down.

Flame weighed his choices. He was either to win this, or keep his secret safe. He had the ability to defeat Spencer. He knew it. But…the others wouldn't be so lucky. He was almost certain that Bryan, for one, wouldn't be defeated. He only had so much time.

Wing watched her teammate. She hoped he would make the best choice. Whatever it was, she would approve.

Flame scanned the crowd until he found what he was looking for.

"Tyson."

"What?"

"Can't you see? Flame's staring straight at us."

"Why would that be?"

"I don't know."

_I hope they will understand. I know what being betrayed feels like. _Then he looked back at Wing, who caught his eye and nodded.

"What are you doing?"

Flame looked down at his dish. His blade was almost pushed off.

"Plotting."

"What? How to walk out of here in shame?"

"No. How to get my revenge."

Spencer eyed him curiously.

_Good, he's puzzled._

"Revenge? You do need grammar lessons. But after I'm done. SEABORG FINISH HIM!"

"Really? COUNTER!"

They met in the center of the dish, and Spencer started pushing him again.

"I don't fall for the same trick twice, let alone four times." He summoned all his strength inside his body, and called out his spirit. "You haven't changed. I would have thought you improved."

"What?"

"I'll show you. You might find him shockingly familiar. DRANZER FLAME SABRE ATTACK!"

And the phoenix rose out of the chip, and gave its all too familiar battle call.

* * *

Reviewers: (running with knives and random sharp objects at UniGirl)

UniGirl: (running away) Sorry for the cliffhanger. This one I had planned out ever since I started the fic. And that's why I dedicated this chapter to you four. You all, at one point, even though you may have taken it back, guessed the truth about Flame's identity. I admit, it was very, very obvious, but you said it to my face and I'm acknowledging you for that. Sorry about not updating for almost a month. Reason at the top of this page.

REVIEW PLEASE! [gets on knees and begs] Oh, and if you're going to make predictions, you can, guess right, and get a chapter dedicated to you! I like seeing how my readers interpret my fic.

SDSilverDragon: I'm not pushing it. Really. Oh, there are so many bad fics out there it's not even funny. I have a hard time finding a really good one. And when I do, they almost never update (shakes fist at Ice Archer Girl, and Shadou-sama) Some people here have seen my reviews where I try to give constructive criticism and be nice at the same time. No one here has seen my flames.

Nessi: You're confused? Good!

Dranzen: Did you get my review? I hope I didn't scare you, I'm not good at writing constructive criticism and not be offensive at the same time.

Britt: Detail and Description…you know me very well. Yes, I am a description writer. I'm thinking of putting more fluff in the sequel, since this one has such a defined plot, where as the next one (spoiler alert) doesn't.

Demon's-gurl: Then I guess you'd hate me for this chapter too, ne? Wow, at least you could elaborate more on the "all this happen and stuff"

Phoenix the 1st: I'm trying. I think now I can start updating sooner since my (gasp) projects are done, no promises. Wing is not going to clear up for another three chapters. I think. You hate her? Good.

Feya: I know, it's driving me nuts. Was Erik with you when you wrote that? I know there are MS supporters. I am (partly) one myself, I mean, look at all my fave books. Well, I'm more of a GS by definition. HP, Eragon, Artemis Fowl, etc. ME NEEDS IY FIC BACK SOON!


	23. A Nasty Bite

UniGirl: Okay, My computer I HATE VERY BADLY! Sorry this is a bit late…my computer first died, then froze, and then my internet died, and my father had to get a new modem, and then it went very, very slow, and I also got a virus. And, if things wouldn't get worse, my router stopped working…I HATE COMPUTERS! And also, the hot weather is making me very lazy.

::pants and pants and pants::

Yes, I'm evil for throwing you all off track. If it was not done on purpose, I wouldn't have done it in the first place. Now you know my writing style.

Disclaimer: I don't even want to think of how Beyblade would be like if UniGirl owned it.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

            Flame walked back up onto the stadium. It was not like him to underestimate his opponents, so he was still tense.

            Spencer walked up on the other side.

            "3…2…1…LET IT RIP!"

            The cords got pulled, and the blades flew in, nearly hitting the sound barrier.

            At first, it was a wild goose chase. Spencer chased him around the stadium a few times, and then vice versa. When they made contact, sparks flew in the air.

            Flame gritted his teeth. _Hang on there…_ he thought silently to himself.

            "SEABORG ATTACK" the whale bit beast sprouted from its chip.

            Flame had to keep himself from stepping back. It had gotten stronger over these years. How was he ever going to defeat it without his last resort?

            "What? Are you scared?"

            "You wish." He said through gritted teeth.

            It pushed him back toward the lip.

            _Okay, time to use a trick Wing taught me._

With a small backwards motion, his blade shot out of the way, and the force almost made Seaborg fall off the dish. Luckily for Spencer, it pulled back just in time.

            Flame clenched his fists. He was giving everything he had. And that guy still didn't back down.

            Spencer rammed against Flame's blade. He could practically feel it slowing down.

            Flame weighed his choices. He was either to win this, or keep his secret safe. He had the ability to defeat Spencer. He knew it. But…the others wouldn't be so lucky. He was almost certain that Bryan, for one, wouldn't be defeated. He only had so much time.

            Wing watched her teammate. She hoped he would make the best choice. Whatever it was, she would approve.

            Flame scanned the crowd until he found what he was looking for.

            "Tyson."

            "What?"

            "Can't you see? Flame's staring straight at us."

            "Why would that be?"

            "I don't know."

            _I hope they will understand. I know what being betrayed feels like. _Then he looked back at Wing, who caught his eye and nodded.

            "What are you doing?"

            Flame looked down at his dish. His blade was almost pushed off.

            "Plotting."

            "What? How to walk out of here in shame?"

            "No. How to get my revenge."

            Spencer eyed him curiously.

            _Good, he's puzzled._

            "Revenge? You do need grammar lessons. But after I'm done. SEABORG FINISH HIM!"

            "Really? COUNTER!"

            They met in the center of the dish, and Spencer started pushing him again.

            "I don't fall for the same trick twice, let alone four times." He summoned all his strength inside his body, and called out his spirit. "You haven't changed. I would have thought you improved."

            "What?"

            "I'll show you. You might find him shockingly familiar. DRANZER FLAME SABRE ATTACK!"

            And the phoenix rose out of the chip, and gave its all too familiar battle call.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

            A Nasty Bite

            Spencer stood there, cool as can be. "You really think that I'm going to fall for that? C'mon. You're more stupid than I gave you credit for."

            Flame shrugged. "If you're not going to take it, then, don't. Just stand and watch while Dranzer takes out your blade."

            "Yeah, right. Last time I battled Dranzer, he came off worse."

            "Last time we battled, you had home field advantage."

            "It wasn't an advantage. It was luck."

            Flame used a lot of self restraint to keep himself from snorting. "Dranzer, show him what really is "Luck.""

            Dranzer screeched, and dived towards the opponent's blade.

            Spencer didn't even bother defending. It wasn't going to work. It was probably just a hologram.

            Turned out, he was wrong.

            "No…Seaborg…"

            Flame smirked pleasantly as Dranzer rose up again, preparing herself for another attack.

            "FINISH HIM!" Flame screamed.

            Dranzer snorted. _Oh, my pleasure._ She thought to herself.

            Time seemed to have slowed down as seconds ticked by and Seaborg landed at Spencer's feet.

            Flame caught the blue blade in his right hand, and held it up to the shocked crowd.

            Wing cursed silently. _No. Not Hiwatari. I. DID. NOT. WANT. HIWATARI. The freak that calls himself a boy. Why him, of all people? Why couldn't it be someone respectable? And I'm supposed to mime as his sister? Give me a break. Yet, how can he blade so well? He's a totally different person. Does that matter? _She hissed as Flame walked back to his seat. _Never, ever, would I have ever thought to be fighting on the same team as him. It's déjà vu all over again. _

            Meanwhile, Storm and Aqua had their own thoughts on Flame's identity.

            _I was sure Wing could get any bit beast out, but I'm sure he can't. I'm not going to work with him. Does he know that? He probably thinks he doesn't know me._ Thought Storm, _Yet I know better. I hate that boy. As Carol always says, that devil's spawn of hell. Oh great, now I'm taking on Carolyn's personality. What has the world come to?_

Aqua had a different way of looking at things. _So, Kai Hiwatari hasn't really retired. Or dead. I wonder what's going on in that screwed up mind of his…Then again, I doubt he'd care. He is Kai Hiwatari. Wonder what Carol will say when I tell her Kai's still alive. She had even teamed up with Voltaire to try to kill him. Foolish thing to do, really. Tala will probably be shaking his fist at him when he finds out…and he had such a great hope that Kai was dead. _

            The Bladebreakers, too, were sceptical.

            "How could that be him?"

            "I don't know."

            "If it really is Kai, then he's improved a lot."

            "If it's really Kai, then he's been doing a lot of training lately."

            "Why?" asked Tyson

            "Just think about this. He practically smashed Max into pieces and he didn't even need to call out his bit beast."

            "Tyson, listen to the chief. Whether he's Kai or not, we don't know. All we know is that he's stronger than us."

            Tyson pouted, but saw the truth in Max's words.

            Spencer walked back up to the stadium, ready for the final match. "I'm still not convinced you are who you say you are."

            Flame showed no expression, but deep down, he cheered. _All the__ better for me._

            The two blades flew at each other, tearing the air apart. Spencer was the first to go on the offensive, "Seaborg," he called.

            "DRANZER."

            Both bit beasts lunged at each other, attacking from all angles. It was a sight to see, much like fireworks, but more destructive.

            "SEABORG ATTACK" Spencer called out to his bit beast, willing with all his might to finish this guy off.

            "DRANZER DEFENSE SHIELD!" Flame called.

            "Wait a minute…Dranzer doesn't have that attack."

            "We don't know anything, chief. For all we know, it could all be a hoax."

            Seaborg grinded against its opponent, but with a little nudge, it was sent back.

            Flame was ready to finish his opponent off. "DRANZER FINAL ATTACK!" he called out.

            And the bit beast was ready too.

            Spencer walked back out of the stadium in shame. The boy in the middle caught his blade and took a deep breath. Now came the hardest part of all. He started back towards the changing room.

            Flame had not gone down a single corridor when the Bladebreakers caught up with him.

            "Explain yourself," said Tyson, slightly out of breath.

            He ignored them.

            "I'm talking to you, mister," Ray said

            He ignored them again.

            Hilary ran up and rung the boy's neck. "Who do you think you are?" she asked

            "No one that wants anything to do with you,"

            "Tell me what's happening right now," said Ray.

            "You'll find out soon, _Hirilon__._ Very soon. Don't worry, we've got…"

            Ray stepped back. Before he could control himself, he burst out "SHUT UP." Then he panted.

            "What's happening?" asked Max.

            "Leave him alone," said Lin.

            Flame turned around to leave.

            "You just wait," Lin muttered under her breath, "You're back, which means the Guardians are too."

            Flame stopped. "I heard that, girl."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

            Ray was in the training room with Lin, only Lin. Tyson and the others had gone out, after Ray had concluded he needed to be left alone.

            "Lin?"

            "Yes?"

            "I've decided. That boy is not Kai."     

            "Why?"

            "You didn't know him. He was cold and distant, but we all knew he felt a little something for us."

            "I guess, but I'm not convinced."

            "You don't have to be."

            "True, but what makes you think that?"

            "He's a Demon, that Flame. We should have guessed it a long time ago. Kane did guess that. We turned it down, thinking it was impossible. Kariey showed up at Ozuma's match with Bryan. The Demons are back. They've brought the Guardians along with them."

            "I guess."

            "There's something I forgot to tell you."

            "What?"

            "This morning, Max came up to me. Told me Eltila told him that there was something along the lines of "the worst traitor."

            "Really?"         

            "What puzzles me is why she didn't tell us directly. She told Max she didn't want us asking questions, but she's told us a lot of unexplainable things before, and we didn't ask. Why?"

            "That's not what bothers me. Why is it Max, of all people?"

            "That's easy. I told him about her."

            Lin looked out the window silently. "I don't think he's the only non-Mage that knows."

            Ray looked up at the girl, waiting until she returned his gaze. When she looked back, he asked, "Why?"

            "I'm pretty sure Kai knows."

            Ray looked taken aback. "In the beginning, I, too, thought Kai was a Mage."

            "Eltila told us otherwise."

            "I know."

            "I also think Boris and Voltaire know."

            "Okay, Lin, don't be so pessimistic. We know they don't."

            "They're after the bit beasts. If they didn't know, why would they want the bit beasts in the first place?"

            "That's why you think Kai knows?"

            Lin nodded silently.

            Ray considered it for a while. "You know what?"

            "What?"

            "You may be right."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

            Flame walked down the empty halls, fuming. Why was he so cowardly? Why couldn't he tell the Bladebreakers? They had every right to know.

            But as the question popped into his head, he immediately knew the answer. He didn't want them to know.

            Flame heard the announcer say something about the battle starting, and decided to walk back into the stadium.

            Aqua looked back as her team mate walked into the stage and sat on the bench. She was glad shades kept her eyes hidden, so Flame could not see the intense glare she was giving him.

            She walked up to the dish, her blue blade in hand. On the other side, Ian did the same.

            If anyone could see Aqua's eyes at this point, they would have seen only determination. The determination to win.

            "Let's do this," she said coldly.

            Ian nodded.

            "3…2…1… LET IT RIP!"

            Ian had been expecting a lot. His eye twitched, and Wyborg closed in on the attack.

            Aqua's blade rushed towards it, matching it's attack with equal strength. With a heavy nudge, Ian's blade was knocked off balance.

            Aqua smirked.

            Ian took this time to close in.

            _Aqua!_ Storm warned

            It was too late. Aqua turned around. There was no escape. Her blue blade flew out of the dish. The teen caught it in mid air. In shame, she walked out of the stadium. She could practically taste Wing's presence behind her.

            _How could you? You lost focus at the exact time that…_

Aqua whirled around. "Wing, leave me alone. I know exactly what I did."

            _Just telling you…consequences are consequences._

_            To think that you'd tire of your speech…_

_            Aqua, I'm warning you._

_            I KNOW, WING!_

With a final glare, Wing turned around.

            Aqua sat down on a nearby bench. She knew exactly why she had lost concentration. She was thinking about something else. Something she had never given thought for many years.

            She was thinking about Tala, her very first true friend.

            She had betrayed him.

            Aqua shook her head. She had other friends, she didn't need to think back at the red haired freak.

            Yet as the thought came into her head, she knew it was wrong. No matter how good her friends were to her, none of them had ever filled the same space in her heart Tala had.

            In many ways, he was much like her, rebellious in very subtle ways, dependant on other people, and easily hurt.

            And then there was that tough hide.

            She smiled at the memories, and, slowly, she walked back into the stadium.

            She was welcomed by a generous round of applause.

            Aqua held her blade up. "Ready?" she taunted.

            Ian smirked.

            "LET IT RIP!"

            The blades flew into the stadium. Ian pounded rapidly on Aqua's blade, but it held strong.

            The tables then turned as Aqua pushed the opponent into the side of the dish, sending sparks into the air.

            Ian smirked. "WYBORG ATTACK"

            Aqua stepped back as the huge cobra bit beast lunged at her blade, looking as if it were to tear her blade into shreds.

            She had only one choice left. _If Kai could do it, why can't I?_

………………………………………………………………………………………………

            Back in the stands, Ozuma watched the battles intensely. It was almost time. Anytime now, the Guardians would be back. He knew it.

            Suddenly, beside him, Mariam stood up.

            "What?"

            She didn't reply as she walked down the steps and into the stadium.

            Aqua shot a quick glance behind her. Good, she was coming.

            As she reached the bottom, Mariam broke into a run just as Aqua was saying, "ESBYIAR ATTACK"

            With a heavy pull, Mariam launched her blade into the dish.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

            UniGirl: Yes, another cliffhanger. You'll be getting a lot of those. I'll try to update sooner next time, trust me, I really will try my best.

In the meantime, I can spend all my time reading your wonderful reviews! (hint hint)

Feya: Two words: Hurry up.

Phoenix the 1st: ;takes out an axe; DIE COMPUTER! DIE! On second thought, that wouldn't be such a good idea. Sorry for the slow updates, I'm working on it, I really am. This wasn't that bad of a cliffie, isn't it? Well it might be if you were an obsessed Mariam fan like yours truly, but…You can guess, but I'm not going to tell you why Kai did what he did.

Vampyre Neko: I don't think this counts as fast. What does "onegai" mean? Thanks for the compliment!

Britt: I like silly crush kind of love, I've had a lot of fun writing Ray/Lin. Thanks, I like being descriptive.

The Tigris: Um…could you put that in English please? That'd be appreciated.

Nessi: Yes, you were right. I threw you off track on purpose, shoot me. ;looks at review again: OOPS SORRY! Okay, you can look on Beyblade Spirit, I think they have it. Otherwise…there's Beyblade Fantasy…I know Destination Beyblade, Blader, and Off the Chain don't have it…BBIC also might. You can look them up on google, they're usually there, if not, find Destination Beyblade they're all in the affiliates section…I'm a major Icy fan.

Dranzen: Itty less confusing? Sorry, I can't do that, I like making people confused. I am such a bad person…hehehe

Give-me-a-hug: I try to update as fast as I can, though sometimes it's very hard for me. It's summer, I might be able to update sooner.


	24. Never to meet again

UniGirl: Hi…My computer seems to always break down. It's about ten years old, it's still the first computer my family ever had, so yeah, it does break down a lot. Recently, the internet stopped working, well, actually, my computer stopped receiving internet signals…[I have wireless] and so yeah…but another confession, I could have had this done a long time ago, but I've been spending too much time on Ty Kamara

[ http:www.ty-kamara.net.tc ][this is the shortcut URL] …look for me there if you want to know if I'm still alive…I'll be happy to talk to any of you. It's a great place, really. Yes, I'm known as UniGirl…And yes, you really do want to start reading the chapter.

dedications 

This Chapter is dedicated to Nessi and…Forgive me, I was sure there was someone else who figured this out, if you are that someone, please tell me. I'll put your name here.

One more thing: Feya, I know you're here. Please send me my fic, thank you very much. If you've already sent it to me, I didn't get it, try UniGirl.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

            Aqua held her blade up. "Ready?" she taunted.

            Ian smirked.

            "LET IT RIP!"

            The blades flew into the stadium. Ian pounded rapidly on Aqua's blade, but it held strong.

            The tables then turned as Aqua pushed the opponent into the side of the dish, sending sparks into the air.

            Ian smirked. "WYBORG ATTACK"

            Aqua stepped back as the huge cobra bit beast lunged at her blade, looking as if it were to tear her blade into shreds.

            She had only one choice left. _If Kai could do it, why can't I?_

………………………………………………………………………………………………

            Back in the stands, Ozuma watched the battles intensely. It was almost time. Anytime now, the Guardians would be back. He knew it.

            Suddenly, beside him, Mariam stood up.

            "What?"

            She didn't reply as she walked down the steps and into the stadium.

            Aqua shot a quick glance behind her. Good, she was coming.

            As she reached the bottom, Mariam broke into a run just as Aqua was saying, "ESBYIAR ATTACK"

            With a heavy pull, Mariam launched her blade into the dish.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

            Never to Meet Again

Smoke engulfed the stadium just as Jazzman was about to announce a disqualification.

The audience had no choice but wonder what was going on, and wait for the smoke to clear.

_Mariam__.__ Why? _Joseph asked silently. _What's happening? Ozuma told us these Celestials were going to destroy the world. Is my own sister a part of this?_

He would just have to wait to see.

But as the smoke parted, both Aqua and Mariam were gone, as was Sharkrash.

Aqua's blade still spun, fuelled by something stronger, but in the girls' place was yet another girl. She had stunning green eyes and blue hair, held in a ponytail. Her cheekbones were very well pronounced, and she looked as if she didn't have a lot to eat. Her nose and lips were small, and she had an earring dangling from one ear. There was a thread at her neck, blue, about two centimetres wide, tied in a shoelace boy, with the ends hanging on either side of her shoulders. She was quite tall, which, in Ian's standards, wasn't much.

Ian gasped. Not her.

::::::::::Flashback:::::::::::::::

Ian looked out the window at the raging snows outside, and then back at the dull colours of the abbey. It was almost the end of breakfast time, and the beginning of a long day of training.

            Incidentally, he glanced over at a table near the middle of the room. His training partners and himself referred to them as the "Pampered" group since there sat the four people who, it was known, were favoured by Boris and Voltaire. Some of then weren't even as old as he was, but they had already been battling at junior Russian tournaments under the name "Crimson Sabres."

            Suddenly a girl stood up and tucked her hair behind her ears. Then she walked to the back of the room towards the sink.

            Boris passed her and she glared.

            He stopped. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

            Her answer was not as someone would expect. "I will look at you in whatever way I want to."

            Boris held her in his gaze for a few seconds and walked off.

            The eyes of everyone in the room followed her until she walked out of the dining hall.

            And from that day, Ian had always had a secret crush on this girl, who was known as "Ice."

::::::::::::::End Flashback::::::::::::

::::::::::::::Flashback::::::::::::::::

            "Hey Ian."

            "What now?"

            "I was spying."

            "That's not new."

            "You know that girl from the Pampered that you have a crush on?"

            Ian turned red and faced Spencer. "Ice? I don't have a crush on her."

            "Whatever. I found out her real name."

            He turned redder. "Yeah?"

            "Marina."

:::::::::::::::End Flashback:::::::::::::::::::

            Even though he knew exactly who that girl was, he asked, "Who are you?"

            She smirked.

            "Esbyiar, show the midget where to put his oversized nose." She said.

            Her bit beast's form was hard to tell, but it was definitely an ocean dwelling creature.

            "WYBORG!" The snake bit beast lunged. Ian smirked. He was glad Boris had then study every single bit of the Crimson Sabres' technique. At least he knew what she would do.

            The lunge caught Marina by surprise, and her blade tumbled out of the dish. She cursed silently and walked out the door.

            Wing didn't follow her.

            Flame did.

            "Who are you?"

            "Kai…" Her eyes softened, but the weakness left as quickly as it came. "This doesn't change anything."

            "Marina…I thought you died."

            She shot him a glare.

            "Talk to me."

            "It was your fault. You let me die."

            "You're…dead?"

            She couldn't stand it. She slapped him on the face. "No, you moron. But it doesn't cancel the fact that you almost killed me. I _trusted _you."

            "Marina…you have no idea what happened after you died…left. Tala abandoned me. He still hasn't forgiven me…"

            "So that's what I'm for," she snapped. "For making sure that you and Tala got along."

            Flame breathed. "I won't argue."

            "Good, because I really don't want to."

            A good, refreshing drink, that's what she needed. But she didn't get there before yet another person bothered him.

            "Who are you?" asked Joseph.

            "You want the long answer or the short one?"

            "Short"

            "Not your sister."

            "Yeah, I kind of figured that out."

            "Someone who doesn't have the time for you." 

            "Mariam always had time for me."

            "I am not your sister."

            "But you're Mariam, aren't you?"

            The girl paused. "…Yes…I am."

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

            "Sir, Marina's alive and perfectly well."

            "Hm…then there is the chance that we will get the Crimson Sabres back…Esbyiar, where is he?"

            "Ian took him after his match with Marina."

            "Good."

            "What should I do?"

            "Make sure Esbyiar does not escape, at all costs. He will be the lure. Marina is bound to come back for him."

            "And what of Aquilla?"

            "Aquilla escaped a long time ago. I don't care, ever since the witch Carolyn messed with her, she's been wrecking havoc all over the abbey."

:::::::::::::Flashback:::::::::::

            "Don't worry, I'll beat you just the same."

"Beat me? All you've got is Aquilla, we created her, and she belongs to us. She won't turn against us."

            "Loyalty is a great thing, and to break the loyalty of a human is hard. To break that of a bit beast is harder still. Do you think that, with Aquilla as my only ally for all these years, I have convinced her to join me? If you choose to believe that Aquilla is still loyal to you, that is your choice, and your mistake."

:::::::::::::End Flashback::::::::::::

            He had believed Aquilla was still loyal to them. But she wasn't. Still, that did not compare to the most loyal bit beast he had ever seen. He was never able to hold her, not even for a single week. Silently, he cursed that bit beast, that Dranzer.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

            Joseph stepped back. Even though he had been dreading the answer, he never expected the girl to use these blunt words.

            Marina just noticed they had been walking. They were outside now, beside the water fountain. She sat down, and he followed suit.

            "Mariam's my sister. How can you not be my sister, yet be Mariam?"

            "I have said too much."

            "But…"

            "No buts. Go."

            "I'm not going until I get some answers."

            "Go."

            "Make me."

            "Okay, gladly."

            It was pretty safe to say that, from that day on, Joseph would take care when he was around water fountains.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

            Marina reluctantly walked back to the stadium, shooting icy glares at misfortunate who happened to be passing by.

            Again, she passed Wing, and again, she didn't say anything. Something was suspicious. She had expected Wing to fly into a rage or something similar. She hadn't expected her to stay quiet like this.

            Storm walked up to the bowl, facing the Demolition Boys' (A/N Apparently I've heard in Grev they're called the BlitzKrieg Boys or something like that…to quote Rubellite, I miss Neo-Borg. :Shakes fist at Nelvana: I HATE YOU! Crusher, Hiro and Miguel for crying out loud! I really wouldn't care less about the first, but Hiro…IS NOT A NAME! I LIKE HIM VERY MUCH! What ever happened to good, respectable names like Hitoshi!? First "Jin of the Gale," and now "Hiro??" Sorry, that was random. I'll explain later.) team leader Bryan. (A/N maybe that Author's note wasn't put in the right place...)

            He held out his launcher and brown blade. Bryan just smirked.

            They launched.

            Seconds into the match, they were already grinding at each other, gnawing as if there was no tomorrow.

            "FALBORG STROLLBLITZ!" Bryan screamed, seeing they were equally matched.

            Storm looked at the falcon bit beast. If he had never seen it before, he would be scared. But he had. He peered down at his blade. It was his choice to give up his old life, a life in which, however hard, he was accepted. He looked back at Marina. How could things have gone so wrong? If she was alive, then he wouldn't be able to forgive himself, and if she was an impostor…then he wouldn't be able to forgive himself either.

            He wouldn't give up. He couldn't, for both Esbyiar's sake and in Marina's memory.

            She must have caught onto his thoughts. Why had Wing not known? She was good at doing that, not Aqua…

            _Focus on the match, worry about me later. I've changed, changed for the better. _

The boy couldn't resist replying. _I like the old __Marina__ better._

_            I like it this wa. The old __Marina__ is no more. _

_            You knew about me all along?_

_            No, only after I revealed myself. You seemed very uncomfortable. Trust me, I've changed, and I've done it for the best, and for you._

_            I fell in love with the old __Marina__._

There was silence. _No. You didn't._

_            I did._

_            You can't have. You can't. Kai always told me you had a crush on me…but I never expected this, and I'm never going to accept it. _

_            You've changed. I don't love you any more_

_            That's all for the best. Now, you notice you're being pounded._

Storm cut the conversation off and looked back at the stadium. He had finally confessed his true feelings to her.

            Which meant…

            "You, kid, need to pay more attention when fighting battles. FALBORG FINISH HIM OFF!"

            And the bit beast did.

            Storm bent down and picked up his blade. He'd know next time not to get engaged in a mental conversation during a beybattle.

            Again, Wing didn't follow him.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

            "What's happening?" asked Kenny

            "Chief, you're the one who's the brain."

            "Wow, you finally noticed, Tyson."

            "Lin…"

            "Lin, be quiet."

            "Ray… C'mon, thinking again?"

            "Yeah. You know what I said to you…earlier?"

            "Yeah?"

            Ray looked around to see that he had peaked the interest of the whole team

            "Ray?"

            "Yes, Lin?"      

            "I think now's not the best time to talk about it."

            Tyson put on a pout. "Do you know something we don't?"

            "Yeah," said Lin

            Ray shot her a glare.

            "The fact that these four Celestials are plotting to take over the world."

            "Really?" asked Hilary

            "I was being sarcastic."

            "Oh." The glimmer went out of Tyson's eyes.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

            Storm sat down by the gardens outside, holding his blade in his right hand. A bit beast was a fascinating creature, and equally as mysterious.

            His thoughts turned back to Bryan, and then to the bit beast.

            Slowly, a small smirk appeared on his face.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

            Storm knew Bryan well enough. If he had ever the chance to beat him, he would have to get in action early in the game, before he had time to react.

            Slowly, he calculated his chances.

            The blades sent sparks into the stadium, and he looked at Bryan across from him. He looked down at both blades, waited until the right moment, then…

            "DRACO!" (A/N All credits go to Nessi – thanks )

            Bryan looked up at the great dragon, it was pure brown in colour, and maybe fifteen, no twenty feet long. Blood red eyes glared at him maliciously.

            "FALBORG!" Next to this dragon, his bit beast looked small. But Bryan didn't care, it was going to win nevertheless.

            "ATTACK!" screamed Storm, his bit beast running in for the kill.

            "FALBORG COUNTER!"

            "DODGE IT!"

            And so it went like this for a while, one attacking, the other defending, attacking, and dodging. They were so evenly matched that the best bet was to wish the opponent would run out of steam.

            That was until Bryan noticed something.

            He was sure he had seen these attacks before, this pattern, this manoeuvre.

            More importantly, he was sure he had seen this strategy before.

            He looked into the mirrored lenses of the brown haired teen, not knowing what to think.

            Then he had a plan.

            "FALBORG!" the wind kicked up. "ATTACK…NOW!"

            It took a while to realize that it wasn't aiming at the blade, but at him. Storm raised one arm to block the blow, but it was too late. The wind came flying at him. He closed his eyes, dreading the worst.

            He opened them again. The first thing he noticed was that he was still standing, and that his blade was still spinning.

            And then he noticed his shades, lying shattered, beside his feet.

            Wing was standing up behind him. Noticing he was all right, she sat down again.

            Storm closed his eyes, and then brought his head up to face his opponent.

            Bryan looked at him, waiting for him to open them again. The blades were battling as if they had a mind of their own. Slowly, the teen opened his eyes, and gave him the iciest glare he could muster.

            If Bryan hadn't seen it before, he would have frozen solid.

            But he had. He knew he had received that very same glare, from that very same pair of icy blue eyes. He knew that deathly white face, that posture, and that style. He knew that tallness and calmness. He knew that shield, he knew that battle stance.

            "You…traitor…" he whispered.

            "Wasn't it obvious?" asked the boy, loud enough so that only Bryan could hear.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

CLIFFIE !!

Am I not so nice? Just so you'll forgive me, I wrote some of the next chapter when my internet wasn't working, so here goes:

:::Warning:::

This is a spoiler for the next chapter. Proceed at your own peril.

The Crimson Sabres

            "Tala, cheer up. You and Kai are good again, I'm alive and well, why don't you just leave the things of the past behind you?"

            "Marina, it's not that simple."

            "Why?"

            "After you left, we took a vow. We vowed the Crimson Sabres would never fight again - as a team."

            "And now that vow is broken."

            "Yes."

            "Why is that such a great deal?"

            "We're in trouble now, greater trouble than before."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

            So yeah, you will be getting some answers from most of the characters. No, it's not as over as you might think, but it's getting pretty close. Trust me, the sequel won't have as many mysteries, more action. There won't be as much betrayal stuff.

            Just trust me on one thing: It'll be much more angsty, as will the last chapters of this fic.

            :::**MAJOR**** SPOILER WARNING**:::

            Read at your own peril:

Someone dies.

:::**END**** MAJOR SPOILER**:::

            Won't tell you who, but if you read the fic really carefully, you should figure it out. Let's just say I worded special parts very carefully.

            Now, done with the spoilers, won't get any for the next little while.

            Feel free to email me, or contact me at Ty Kamara…hehe, I'll be there.

            Also, about Wing's identity, the chapter preview made it very, very obvious, so, if you figure it out and tell me, sorry, too late. If you still don't know, then maybe you should try figuring out if Hermione likes Harry or Ron. (apparently Rowling said that she was surprised the whole world didn't know.) (You guys do know Harry Potter.) ( If you don't get a copy…it's the best book on earth…and watch the news more… seriously … maybe you've been on the moon or something for the past few years.)

            Okay, about the Nelvana thing in which I so rudely interrupted my chapter, I found out what the Grev dub names were. Again, the next part contains small to big Grev spoilers. Anyway, the part I got most mad about was Hiro. I like Hitoshi very much. Tyson and Hiro. How does that fit? And they tell me they're brothers… I mean aren't siblings supposed to have similar names?

            Mihaeru is now Miguel. cough Not like I have anything against the name Miguel, but seriously, Miguel isn't a name for someone with Mihaeru's personality.

            And Moses is now Crusher. Well, Crusher's not a name. Not like I liked Moses a lot, but still…

            I'm glad they kept Brooklyn, though. I like him, even though he did kill Kai.

            Now I dread the VA's.

            I hope they don't screw up the Tyson/Kai scene. I'm not a yaoi fan, but it'll be even worse if they sappified the scene, seriously… I can just hear it…

            And I really hope they'd keep the swearing in, some of the curses Kai says to Brooklyn really adds to the plot.

            Chibified Garland is so cute!

            I think you're all tired of my ranting by now. Just please read and review, make me happy. The next chapter's already halfway done, I'll try to get it up, that is if my internet returns.

            THANKIES ALL REVIEWERS!

            Note: Just in case you're wondering, I don't do the reviews in order of favourites, etc. I do them in the order they're sent to me.

            Vampyre Neko: I seem to be doing cliffhangers lots. I don't know if this is called "soon" I really don't think it is.

            Nessi: No, they don't. Okay, at the beginning, they did, but I changed it to make it more interesting.

            SilverWingPhoenix: O.o sorry. It wasn't supposed to…these chapters are supposed to clear things up…

            Spyrit Phoenyx: Did I spell your name right? Anyway, it takes me so long to update, I don't know why. Yeah, well, there are much more than in the beginning. I hope it comes together at the end. It does for me, but… Wow, long review. I like long reviews, they're fun to read. I hate my computer, it's a cranky old machine. I've started writing longer chapters, because I hate reading short chapters, it kind of fluctuates the flow of the story…

            Dranzen: :ducks: Sorry… :pouts: but I've grown into writing cliffies. I mean, once you have MAP, you can't help but abuse it… Mariam has more to do with this story than I cared to reveal… hehe. I hate Tyson, but he's fun to write. If I made him the bad guy, then he wouldn't have any smart alec jokes…

            Phoenix the 1st: You aren't? She's the coolest girl in the whole entire show! Wow, your network's mighty wise, isn't it? I'm joking. I'll try to update sooner, I think.

            Britt: There'll be more fluff in the sequel, and more of you. Sorry, I just like to think of the character as a character, and not a person. Good, I don't like picky people.


	25. The Crimson Sabres

UniGirl: I hope this isn't too long between updates, I'm trying, I really am. I had almost finished this chapter, actually, finished it, just needed to do the reviews at the end, but…guess what? Yes, my computer :kicks computer: broke down. More specifically, my internet stopped working. Coincidence, ne? Then I had to wait to get it fixed. Just for that, I decided to make this chapter longer. It might not be, but hey, ranting's good for life. Also, my internet is very unsteady, so bear with me until I get it fixed for good.

I just wanted to tell you, in case I don't get an update in before it happens, but I'm going to be on vacation near the beginning of August, until the twenty fifth or sometime like that. So, don't expect an update from me until the beginning of September, or, depending on how much work I have, the middle of it.

I was surprised at how many of you shared my views about the dub names. In fact, I thought you would dismiss them as a lunatic authoress' ranting. In case you're wondering, the full list and character bios are in the official Nelvana website, under "Beyblade," for those who are interested. Just one more thing on this subject, :sings: "We don't need another heeero…" Anyway, I've got Kai and that's all I need.

Kai: o.O

Another thing I got surprised at was how concerned some of you were about Mariam. There's a reason she's gone. It's something to do with something that happened a few chapters ago, at night.

Oh, here's more advertising. If you haven't check out Rubellite's G Revolution pictures site, it's got all the spoilers you'll ever need. But she already took some off to make room for new pictures, so hurry up.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The blades sent sparks into the stadium, and he looked at Bryan across from him. He looked down at both blades, waited until the right moment, then…

            "DRACO!" (A/N All credits go to Nessi – thanks )

            Bryan looked up at the great dragon; it was pure brown in colour, and maybe fifteen, no twenty feet long. Blood red eyes glared at him maliciously.

            "FALBORG!" Next to this dragon, his bit beast looked small. But Bryan didn't care, it was going to win nevertheless.

            "ATTACK!" screamed Storm, his bit beast running in for the kill.

            "FALBORG COUNTER!"

            "DODGE IT!"

            And so it went like this for a while, one attacking, the other defending, attacking, and dodging. They were so evenly matched that the best bet was to wish the opponent would run out of steam.

            That was until Bryan noticed something.

            He was sure he had seen these attacks before, this pattern, this manoeuvre.

            More importantly, he was sure he had seen this strategy before.

            He looked into the mirrored lenses of the brown haired teen, not knowing what to think.

            Then he had a plan.

            "FALBORG!" the wind kicked up. "ATTACK…NOW!"

            It took a while to realize that it wasn't aiming at the blade, but at him. Storm raised one arm to block the blow, but it was too late. The wind came flying at him. He closed his eyes, dreading the worst.

            He opened them again. The first thing he noticed was that he was still standing, and that his blade was still spinning.

            And then he noticed his shades, lying shattered, beside his feet.

            Wing was standing up behind him. Noticing he was all right, she sat down again.

            Storm closed his eyes, and then brought his head up to face his opponent.

            Bryan looked at him, waiting for him to open them again. The blades were battling as if they had a mind of their own. Slowly, the teen opened his eyes, and gave him the iciest glare he could muster.

            If Bryan hadn't seen it before, he would have frozen solid.

            But he had. He knew he had received that very same glare, from that very same pair of icy blue eyes. He knew that deathly white face, that posture, and that style. He knew that tallness and calmness. He knew that shield, he knew that battle stance.

            "You…traitor…" he whispered.

            "Wasn't it obvious?" asked the boy, loud enough so that only Bryan could hear.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The Crimson Sabres

Bryan nodded slightly. Fuelled by anger and hate, he called out again.

            "FALBORG STROLLBLITZ!"

            "DRACO HEAVY BIND!"

            The spirits crashed at each other, tearing at their opponents, wishing, truly, to kill the other.

            Bryan glared at the icy eyed boy. The wind swept up and engulfed him.

            He smirked. "Why? Can't stand the wind?"

            "You…wish" he spat.

            Bryan's eyes widened in confusion as Storm stood up and called out to his bit beast, despite the winds swirling around him.

            "I grew up in Russia. I've fallen into a frozen lake, got stranded in a snowstorm. You really think I can't handle a bit of wind?"

            "Yes I do. FALBORG GIVE HIM WHAT HE DESERVES"

            Storm tried his best to stay on his feet, but it didn't work. Again, he got on one knee, and again, his blade got pounded.

            The winds died down again, and as Storm turned his head, he saw that his Wing was standing up. Her expression was impossible to read, but her lips were drawn in a straight line.

            Indicating anger.

            He turned around to look in Bryan's confused eyes.

            "DRACO FINISH HIM!"

            The dragon rushed towards its prey, tackling the bird to the ground. Then it wrapped its tail around Falborg's neck and squeezed hard.

            The bit beast exploded into fragments of light.

            Storm smiled as his own bit beast returned to its blade after giving a final cry of victory.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

            Marina ran out to her team mate. "TALA!"

            "Hey, Mari."

            "That was wicked."

            He chuckled inwardly. "I told you you haven't changed."

            That kept her quiet.

            "Just wait. I'll get Esbyiar back for you."

            "Thanks." She blushed.

            Suddenly, his eyes turned cold again. "Let's go outside and talk about this."

            So he walked out of the room, with Flame following at his heels.

            "Why do you keep that on? We don't need disguises anymore."

            "Out of habit, I guess." He took the shades off, revealing his auburn eyes.

            "Kai…I'm…"

            But at the last minute, Kai decided he really didn't want an apology, even though he had longed for one for the last few years. "There's no need. I understand."

            "Kai…All these years…they were for nothing."

            "It's over now. We're good."

            "Good."

……………………………………………………………………………………………....

            Watching Kenny type rapidly on his laptop, Ray asked, "What's happening?"

            "Oh…do you really think that kid could be Tala?"

            "And that Flame's Kai. What do you really think?" asked Tyson

            "I really think that that boy is Kai."

            "CHIEF!"

            "What?"

            "You can't say that."

            "There's all the evidence in the world to back it up."

            Flame leaned on the pillar in the walkway next to them. He was a few levels above, but knew every word they had said. He had heard enough. Turning around, he walked up the stairs, not failing to notice the stares the crowd was giving him.

            _Tala's__ right. I can't be a coward._

His crimson eyes flashed, and he closed them, walking through the halls with them closed.

            "What are you staring at, Max?"

            "Him…"

            Tyson turned around to catch a glimpse of the roan headed boy, walking out the back door.

            "He was listening."

            "That…worm…" Tyson sprang onto his feet, but Hilary held him back. "TYSON!"

            "I'll…kill…him…"

            "Tyson, you can't. If he's Kai, then you'll have no chance against him…if he's not, then he must be very clever, and his bit beast very powerful. Honestly, I've never heard of a bit beast that can take the form of another, but this could be the first," said Kenny

            Ray and Lin looked at each other.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

            "Bladers ready…3…2…1…LET IT RIP!"

            "FALBORG"

            "DRACO"

            "ATTACK" they screamed in unison.

            There was never as much hate in any battle as this one. Bryan, ready to get vengeance, and Tala, well, his motives were unknown.

            The wind kicked up. Tala glanced behind him. His team leader wasn't there.

            _I'll just have to fare on my own, _he thought

            Soon, there were whirlwinds circling the beystadium, in such a way that, if it weren't for the cameras directly above, no one would be able to see the blades.           

            Tala put one arm over his eyes, a desperate attempt to block the dust from entering. Then he braced himself for another attack.

            It came as suddenly as it left, leaving the younger teen on both knees, panting.

            Only the thought of victory urged him to stand up again.

            "HEAVY METAL BIND ATTACK!"

            "STROLLBLITZ"

            They both smirked inwardly, but as contact was made, only one blade was left standing.

            "D…draco…"

            Then, obviously making effort not to show any emotion, Tala picked up his brown blade and walked out of the room.

            _I'm sorry, __Marina__,_ he said to himself

            He didn't know that she was listening.

            _It's__ okay, Wing's power is greater than any I've seen so far. You know that._

_            She wasn't at the battle_

_            She had bigger fish to fry._

_            Isn't this the most important thing that was supposed to happen?_

_            For Wing, no. _

_            She has to win this, or else we'll…_

_            I know. Have you even seen her bit beast?_

_            No. _

_            I got attacked by it. If it can potentially tear flesh and blood into shreds, I have no doubt that Tomas' bit beast will be lying on the ground, writhing in pain._

_            We haven't seen him battle. Last time, he chickened out._

_            That's what makes me wonder if he's a powerful weapon under his sleeve._

_            Wing deceived BioVolt into thinking she was Kai. That's why Tomas was pitted against her. _

_            I know. _

_            You know how important Hiwatari is to the success of BioVolt._

_            I know that all too well._

_            I'm thinking that Tomas was trained specially to bring down Kai Hiwatari._

It was an interesting thought.

            _You know what? You may be right, but we can never be sure._

_            Yeah. I was thinking about that conversation we had a few weeks back. About that "place."_

_            Yeah?_

_            It's a coincidence that three of us went to BioVolt, left in that order. _

_            And we weren't talking about BioVolt._

_            You're right. _

………………………………………………………………………………………………

            Kenny closed his laptop.

            "What are you doing?"

            "Going to pay Flame a visit."

            "Why?"

            "I'm convinced he's Kai."

            "Well, I'm coming with you," said Ray

            Kenny smiled.

            They headed for the Celestials' training room. Ray put an ear to the door, listening.

            "There are Beyblade noises. Wing's in there training, I think."

            Suddenly, the door flew open.

            "Uh…guys, I think we're caught," said Tyson, who, after a lot of persuading, agreed to tag along.

            "What do you want?" asked Wing

            "We're here to see…"

            Wing turned her head towards the inside of the room. "Flame, you've got visitors."

            "Let me guess, the Bladebreakers?"

            "Precisely."

            "Tell them that I'm busy."

            "You heard that, right?" she asked, turning.

            "Can you answer our question, then?"

            "Depends on what it is."

            "Is he Kai?"     

            "Yes."

            The Bladebreakers turned around to the source of the other voice.

            _That's what you were busy with? Changing?_

_            Yeah._

_            I thought girls changed slowly._

He chose to ignore the comment. "Now you've got your answer, care to leave?"

            Tyson looked like he was about to explode. "How dare you? You ran away like that, never told us, and now you're on this team, and…"

            Kai flinched. Tyson had packed a punch on his face.

            Tyson, who had never seen his former team captain flinch, smirked.

            Kai dug into his pocket, looking for his Dranzer. When he found it, he reached for his launcher.

            Someone else got there before he did.

            A blue blade whizzed by Tyson's cheek, cutting it. Beads of blood welled up, but he didn't seem to notice.

            "Next time, idiot, I won't miss."

            Tyson turned around.

            "Marina…"

            "They aren't worth your time."

            "They aren't worth yours too, Ice."

            Marina smiled, memories coming back to her, when everyone feared her, called her the "Ice."

::::::::Flashback:::::::

            "Aquilla Cold Storm ATTACK!"

            The cold winds circled the beystadium, resting in a blanket above it, trapping the cold air in, and keeping the warm air out.

            "AQUILLA DIVE BOMB!"

            "Not so fast, ESBYIAR FLOOD ATACK!"

            And so Esbyiar had covered water all over the stadium, which, unwittingly, had been sealed in cold air.

            The water froze.

            "Now I've got the advantage. ESBYIAR ATTACK!"

            "AQUILLA!"

            Carolyn picked up her blade and looked up at Boris, glaring down at her. She did her best to show a brave face.

            "Come here, Laona. You, clean up the ice."

            Marina had heard "clean up, Ice." "My name isn't Ice."

            Boris pondered it for a moment. "No, but I can call you that."

            Marina wasn't stupid enough to reply.

:::::::End Flashback::::::::

………………………………………………………………………………………………

            Wing looked across the vast beystadium, at the silver haired boy across from it. Unlike most people, she had a strategy.

            "LET IT RIP!!!"

            Tomas stared into the shades, trying to bore a hole through them. Questions swam in his head. Was this person Kai? Or was it the other?

            He shook his head. "ATTACK"

            Wing looked at the black blade, noticing its attack pattern.

            She retreated. Better to defend, and lure the bit beast out. She wouldn't know what to do until she had seen it.

            It worked. "Why won't you lose?" Tomas asked. "Why won't you just give up? You can't defend forever. BLACK DRANZER!"

            Kai flinched at the name. He looked up. _It can't be…_

_            It is._

_            Wing?_

_            Don't talk to me._

"BLACK DRANZER ATTACK!"

            Wing looked into the eyes of the bit beast. _You will pay, beast. You will pay…_

Black Dranzer looked back at her, as if saying, _right, girl._

            The blade hit Wing's squarely, sending it into the air.

            "RAPID SPIN!"

            Wing's blade rotated, spinning the other way, as it landed squarely in front of its opponent.

            _Come on, Shade, come on…_

_            You wish, beast._

But deep down, Wing knew she couldn't beat Black Dranzer without summoning her bit beast. She knew.

            _Of course you can't, Shade, summon her, and you have a small chance._

_            If I summon her, you'll take her over._

_            Yes, I will._

_            Also, would you mind getting out of my head?_

_            Yes, I would. It's good to get you annoyed. And it serves as a good distraction._

_            What?_

_            Look down and you'll know what I mean._

Wing looked down at the beystadium, to find that Black Dranzer was already almost pushing her blade off the edge.

            "No…ATTACK!"

            _That's the spirit, Shade._

_            What would you know about it?_

There was no reply. Then, _you'll see, soon enough, but when you do, it will already be too late._

Wing tried to shake the voice out of her head, and clear her mind. Again, her blade was being pushed off the edge, and this time, there wasn't enough room for her to dodge it.

            She weighed her chances. Win or lose, secrecy or…

            It was useless. She could see, now that Black Dranzer was right. She needed the strength of her bit beast. If she didn't, it would be gone anyway.

            _Yes, yes!_

_            Shut up._

"…AQUILLA!" [A/N, it's pronounced ah-KEY-ya]

            A white hawk shot out of the bit chip. Its wings were massive, and its head both swift and graceful at the same time.

            Kai stepped back from behind her. "No…it can't be…"

            Wing took off her glasses, and her brown eyes looked back at her team mates.

            "Carolyn…" whispered Kai, vermin evident in his voice.

            Kai didn't know if she had heard him or not, but if she had, she made no remark.

:::::::::::Flashback::::::::::::::

            "What do you want, girl? You know you're misplaced in this abbey."

            "You'll see soon enough, Viper."

            "Maybe, Shade."

            "Don't call me Shade."

            "Why not? Tala calls you that."

            "I respect Tala, he respects me back."

            "And you hate me, I hate you back. So we're even."

            She drew her blade. "You don't want me to…"

            "Your bit beast is made by BioVolt, mine's a sacred beast spirit. How do you think that will compare."

            "Aquilla's true power is beyond your wildest dreams."

            "And yours. I doubt you've known how to unleash it anyway."

            The younger child bit her lip. He was right.

            Kai turned around, walking away. "What a waste of time," he muttered, loud enough for her to hear.

            Carolyn watched him go. As soon as he was out of sight, she screamed a long string of swear words.

::::::::::End Flashback::::::::

:::::::::::Flashback:::::::::::

            "Hey guys," said Max

            "What?" asked Tyson.

            Max entered the room, accompanied by a white haired, brown eyed girl.

            Kai looked at her, and she met his gaze. He glared. _Carolyn Laona…_ Surprisingly, she only smiled back.

            "Who's she?" Kai growled.

            "Don't worry, he does that to everyone," Max told the girl. "This is Carolyn. She's new to Japan."

            Carolyn smiled.

            Kai walked up to her. He had no time for the sweat talk. "Carolyn Laona..."

            She looked taken aback. "How'd you know my surname?"

            "Enough games, girl. What do you want? Why aren't you in that hell infested nest with your hell infested friend?"

            She smiled sweetly. "I don't know what you mean," she said with a respectful bow, "I came here, I wanted to see the Japanese BBA, that's all. I'm also here to watch the world championships."

            Kai glared at her. His voice dropped to a deadly tone. "Whatever you're plotting, Shade, I'm not falling for it."

            Again, the girl put on a confused expression. "Shade? Who's that?"

            Kai turned around and walked out of the room.

            "Sorry, Carolyn, he's rude," said Hilary.

            "Don't worry, I've read all about the Bladebreakers' team leader." She smiled again.

            "I forgot to introduce us," said Tyson. I'm Tyson, that's Kenny, we call him the chief, that's Ray over there, the one with black hair and ears like that elf from Lord of the Rings whatever his name is, and…"

            "Tyson, I don't look like Legolas."

            "Whatever. Anyway, that's Hilary."

            Carolyn bowed again. "Thanks."

            "Do you have a place to stay?" asked Hilary, "If not, you could stay here."

            "That'd be great, but I don't think your friend likes me very much."

            Kai had watched from the window, listening. _Carolyn Laona, whatever you're plotting, don't expect to catch me off guard. I know why you're really here, and that's to kill me._

::::::::::::End Flashback::::::::::::

            _So that's why she came back. That's why…so she had been planning to call this for a while already. And she didn't tell us…_

            "Waitaminute… Chief, isn't that Carolyn's bit beast?"

            "Yeah. But hey, I'm not going to say anything. She had Dranzer."

            "How can someone have two bit beasts that were so different???"

            Again, Ray and Lin looked at each other. It was so impossible, but it was the only answer.

            Tomas looked at the hawk. "Don't fool me, child."

            "Child? You kid me. You still don't recognise me? I've seen you before, you're not a new recruit from BioVolt."

            "I've seen you before too."

            "Then you know who I am."

            He surveyed her for a moment. "Not Hiwatari."

            Carolyn rolled her eyes. "Do I look like him?"

            Tomas looked past her at the real Kai. "Nope."

            Carolyn remained silent.

            "So who are you?"

            "They call me Shadow."

            "So…" he looked back at his teammates, and then at the Celestials. "The Crimson Sabres recruited. Ice, Wolf, Viper, and Shadow."

            "Took you long enough. Too bad your reflexes aren't as good."

            "What?"

            With a final heave, Aquilla shoved the other blade off the stadium.

            "That's not…"

            "What would you have known about fairness, we both lived by breaking the rules."

            His eyes darkened into an unmistakable glare.

            Carolyn smirked.

            "Carolyn…"

            "Kai…"

            "It was you. All along, it was you."

            She rolled her eyes again.

            "You freak."

            "Who are you calling a freak? At least I don't smear my face with paint every morning."

            "No, but you smear it with baby powder."

            "What makes you think that?"

            "Well, you look like a ghost."

            Carolyn packed a punch right at the older teen's nose.

            "I'm still older than you, and taller. Of course, you're still heavier than me…" He trailed off, the weight thing always worked on girls.

            "Viper, I know that. I can't help it that I'm not as fit as you are. It's always been that way."

            "What's happening?" asked Hilary. "They're hitting each other."

            "But Carolyn…"

            "She didn't have anything against Kai last time…"

            "No, but Kai had a lot against her."

            Ray breathed a sigh of realization. "Oh…I get it."

            "What?"

            "Yeah, Ray, we're all in the dark here."

            "Carolyn came just for Kai."

            Max snorted. He knew that.

            "She must have known about this team, she might even be the one who called them together."

            "That means that Kai didn't know which was which."

            Kenny looked at Tyson. "So you've accepted Flame's identity."

            "Yeah…I guess."

            "She came to gain his trust, I think. What I'm puzzled about is this "Crimson Sabres" thing."

            Kenny typed it up on his laptop. "According to Dizzi's search, the Crimson Sabres were a team composed of youngsters who kept on winning the Russian Junior Championships. She says that…"

            "Chief, I can talk. Anyway, the Crimson Sabres were supposed to be led by BioVolt, consisting of some of the youngest top notch bladers. There was the Viper Sabre, the Wolf Sabre, the Ice Sabre, and the Shadow Sabre."

            "Oh…Can you elaborate?"

            "Tyson, let me finish. Apparently, two of them, Shadow and Viper, had a grudge against each other, and Viper somehow let Ice die over the edge of a cliff. Ice was both of their friends, along with the Wolf's. Then Wolf and Shadow went and isolated Viper, who just isolated them back."

            "So that's why they're not dominating the world championships or something."

            "Yes. Now I'll tell you something interesting. After Ice died, Viper destroyed the training facilities, and therefore got kicked out. Then, about a year and a half ago, Shadow disappeared, and just recently, Wolf did too."

            "…Oh…" said Kenny, piecing the puzzle together.

            "That's what Tomas meant when he said the Crimson Sabres were back. By looking at these clues, it's pretty obvious that Viper's Kai, Ice's Marina, Wolf's Tala, and Shadow's Carolyn."

            "So that's why Kai abandoned us," said Max.

            "No, Max."

            "What?"

            "I think he's abandoned you for a reason far more important, so important that it could affect…"

            "LIN!"

            Lin blushed. "Sorry, Ray."

……………………………………………………………………………………………

            "Tala, cheer up. You and Kai are good again, I'm alive and well, why don't you just leave the things of the past behind you?"

            "Marina, it's not that simple."

            "Why?"

            "After you left, we took a vow. We vowed the Crimson Sabres would never fight again - as a team."

            "And now that vow is broken."

            "Yes."

            "Why is that such a great deal?"

            "We're in trouble now, greater trouble than before."

            _Why?_

_            The thing BioVolt wants more than Kai is the Crimson Sabres, back, fighting, as a team for them. To this day, we remain the strongest team they have ever had. We've got you and Carolyn for skill and Kai for leadership._

_            You missed yourself._

_            Me for being a pylon._

_            You're not a pylon, Tala. You bind us together._

_            You're the only one who can make Kai and Carolyn cooperate._

_            I can't. You're Kai's best friend. I'm Carolyn's._

_            That was our little club._

_            Yeah._

_            Look, Ice, there's nothing we can do except wish that Carolyn wins this match. And even if we do, BioVolt's going to get at us, now that they know you're alive, and Carolyn's well._

_            What if we're not willing to work for BioVolt?_

_            You know Boris as well as I do. You know that once we get close enough to him for him to ask that question, we really won't have a choice_

_            Either yes, or death._

_            Oh, they won't kill us. You've become naïve over these years. They'd rather have us working for them._

_            Oh… _Marina's eyes hardened_. "The drug._

_            You're right. That._

_            There was silence._

_            Wolf, why do they do these things? It's wrong, it's injust, it's…_

Tala cut her off. He looked into the green eyes._Marina__…what's the outside world done to you…what happened to the old you…the one that I knew and...l…liked?_

_            Tala…I told you I had changed. You interpreted it wrong._

            Tala shook his head. _You don't understand. If we need to have an ounce of chance of beating them, we need to be who we once were. Maybe the members of the Sabres are here, but our minds have changed. Maybe you were right, the Crimson Sabres would be no more._

_            I'm willing to bring them back, to bring BioVolt down._

_            If they find this out, if they haven't found already, they'd capture the people you care for, not Carolyn or Kai, they want to give you a choice, but someone like…like Joseph, or Ozuma._

Pictures of them flashed in her head. _No…_

_            We need to be our old selves. It's the only way to win. And one more question: __Marina__, are you willing to die for this cause? Are you? Are you willing to die to save the Bit Beasts? _

_            I've never died before.            _

_            Obviously, but are you willing to, when you are faced with this chance?_

_            Yes. _

_            That's enough._

There was silence again.

            _No, it isn't._

_            Carolyn?_

_            To die for your beliefs isn't the greatest courage. Once you're dead, you have no guilt. You know what I think is harder than dying for what you believe in?_

_            What?_

_Marina__…are you willing to let another one of us die?_

Marina paused. _No._

_            You see my point? What about you, Tala?_

Tala pondered it. _Yes. But I wouldn't want to._

_            You'll never forgive yourself for the rest of your life._

_            I know._

_            That's what Boris was saying. That's why emotions are bad. To get emotionally attached to someone makes a person not able to make correct choices, even if it's for the good of the world. Would you choose the one you truly cared about over the whole world? Many men would._

_            Wow, Carolyn, I never knew these words would come from you._

_            Kai…_

_            The day Carolyn finds wisdom in Boris' words is the day the apocalypse comes._

_            Carolyn…why do you know this?_ Asked Marina       

            _I let someone die before. She sacrificed her life to save mine, so that I would live to recruit…you guys, and so I could have another chance._

_            Who was it?_

_            Aquilla._

……………………………………………………………………………………………....

UniGirl: is that considered a cliffy? :looks up: three thousand six hundred and eighty two words in the chapter alone, not even in the "Previously" part. :Uses word count again: Four thousand and ninety two words not including rants. That's not good.

            How'd you find it? Next chapter, more answers, and the outcome of Carolyn's battle. I think. I'm not sure. Hey, I didn't get half of what I wanted to in this chapter.

In the meantime, you can review! Oh, and if you're interested, there's a long detailed bio of Lin in the fanwork forum of Ty Kamara, under "OC('s)" the first post. She turned out a little different than I intended. But then again, Carolyn was my original MS…

            Must get onto writing Carolyn and Marina's bios…

            I'm done ranting. REVIEW! IT'S AN ORDER!

Vampyre Neko: :looks like I want to say something: :Stuffs sock in mouth: hehe, won't say anything about that. It's worth it? Wow… Thanks :blushes a deep shade of violet:

Dranzen: MARIAM FANS ROCK THE WORLD! Brookie kills Kai. And Kai comes back. Symbolic. Remember the legend of the phoenix? Anyway…You a Blader fan? :giggles: I'm a Destination: Beyblade veteran… I know seven year olds who watch Beyblade. Depends on where you are, Grev has already started in Britain, starting in September in Canada, that's all I know. Nelvana can get rid of the swearing. They might not, but if they don't I'm swearing the apocalypse is finally here. This chapter, I think, is much more confusing than the last. MAP: Mighty Authoress Powers. I can make the characters do anything I want!

Phoenix the 1st: I don't mind, not personally. Hope you finish soon! You do brighten my day!

Spyrit Phoenyx: no, you weren't late. I just finished updating. I like Brookie too. He's so cute…:holds up "kill Nelvana" banner: hate you…DIE! Mariam? Comes out later. :Kicks computer: :Kicks computer again.:

Britt: I know I'm evil. Good. Picky people = die.

TNTiggris: Okay. O.o

Nessi: Yes I finally did. Sorry…but he is evil, mind you. Very much so. I think I need you to remind me when I kind of forget about him. But the sequel won't be in the POV of the Guardians…more of Ray, since I like it when people don't know what someone else is thinking…

Sage: Hey, could you try reading more of the fic? I kind of am almost done already. And I have way too many characters as it is.

Rock: My fanfic hooks people? Wow! :blush: :thinks: I might not be able to, but if I have a space, I'll use them, deal? It depends. But you did read my mind. I am planning on using tag teams in the sequel. But I must warn you: I know who will win, and…Okay, email me, and we'll discuss it, okay? It's just that I've looked over your characters and they're a bit…excuse me, I'm really bad at telling people things and not offending them…Stuish.

Thankies All Reviewers! You do not know how much I appreciated it.

PS. FEYA I NEED MY FIC BACK! AS SOON AS YOU GET THAT :BLEEEEEP: INTERNET OF YOURS BACK!


	26. A Thing of Legends

Unigirl: I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

All: [groan]

UniGirl: So anyway, I had a great time, and I'd like to thank you all for your reviews. I went and calculated the number of chapters I'd like to have, and there's about five or six more, if you include the epilogue, maybe more.

Also, I am doing my best to make sure Carolyn isn't Mary Sueish. Please inform me if you think she is, and how I can improve. It's just that...well...I took the original MS test and she didn't even make borderline...but I needed someone to do this role...I wanted a female. There wasn't a female in Beyblade that I really, really liked...(except Mariam, and I, as you can see, already have a role for her.)

Sorry for being so long, I don't think I can update often. Even in summer, I'm busy.

But I found more really good fics. And truly realized how much this one stinked...but at least I've pre-planned some others. I was also truly honoured when a guy (sorry, no matter how great you are, I have to respect your privacy) told Ty Kamara that this was his very favourite fic.

No one's ever told me that before. Good thing I wasn't in front of him. I think I must have blushed bright red. ( I wish my brother wasn't there, though)

_To die for your beliefs isn't the greatest courage. Once you're dead, you have no guilt. You know what I think is harder than dying for what you believe in?_

_What?_

_Marina...are you willing to let another one of us die?_

Marina paused. _No._

_You see my point? What about you, Tala?_

Tala pondered it. _Yes. But I wouldn't want to._

_You'll never forgive yourself for the rest of your life._

_I know._

_That's what Boris was saying. That's why emotions are bad. To get emotionally attached to someone makes a person not able to make correct choices, even if it's for the good of the world. Would you choose the one you truly cared about over the whole world? Many men would._

_Wow, Carolyn, I never knew these words would come from you._

_Kai..._

_The day Carolyn finds wisdom in Boris' words is the day the apocalypse comes._

_Carolyn...why do you know this?_ Asked Marina

_I let someone die before. She was going to sacrifice her life to save mine, so that I would live to recruit...you guys, and so I could have another chance._

_Who was it?_

_Aquilla._

A Thing of Legends

There was little reaction, and none of it included surprise.

_So...Aquilla died. _

_Yes._

_Let me guess, Shade..._

_Viper, do not call me Shade._

_You let him call you Shade, you even let Black Dranzer call you Shade, why not me?_

_I didn't let Black Dranzer call me Shade. She just did, and I was in the middle of a beybattle. I had better things to do than tell her off._

_Okay, okay, fine. Black Dranzer killed Aquilla?_

_Partly._

_She had something to do with it._

_She has something to do with everything. That's why I'm scared. If she's got the guts to stand up to me, then something makes me think that she's already called the Demons together._

_We. Are. So. In. Big. Trouble. If. That. Happens._

_I know. But we knew it was going to happen one day or another._

The rest of them nodded. It was true. It was going to happen, and they'd have to be ready for it.

_So Carolyn..._

_Yeah?_

_Are we even now?_

_Nope. I still hate you._

Kai let a flicker of a smile show on his face. _Then it's back to the old days._

Carolyn closed her eyes and walked out of the hallway. Kai followed suit.

_Well Mari, it is back to the old days. _Said Tala

_No. I don't think so. But close. _She replied

_Shade..._ the venom in the voice of the huge bit beast above her caused poison to pump through Carolyn's veins.

_Don't call me that._

_And why not?_

Carolyn turned away. She had no time for this. She stared at her opponent.

Tomas' gaze met hers. "You are going down."

"And then whose victory will it be? Yours? I really don't think so. If I return to BioVolt, there won't be any room for you."

"Your bit beast is dead. That was a trick. Boris told me. They killed her."

"I know they did."

Tomas looked taken aback. "So you really don't care what happens to your bit beast."

Carolyn felt the blood boiling in her. No one, no one insulted her like that.

_You're angry again._

_SHUT UP_

Black Dranzer chuckled.

"AQUILLA ATTACK! WINDS OF HELL!"

The graceful white hawk shot out of the bit chip, spreading its wings and screeching.

"BLACK DRANZER ATTACK!" screamed Tomas. "You, girl, are dead."

The white winds were broken with black sparks, and all of a sudden, the winds turned red.

"AQUILLA...NO!" screamed Carolyn. "STOP THE ATTACK!"

It was too late. The winds carried the fire. An injured hawk fell to the ground, sparkling. It had been burned.

"BLACK DRANZER FINAL ATTACK!"

There was only one thing to do. Carolyn was sure now; sure that what she had feared was going to happen. She wouldn't be able to use an element of surprise to defeat them now, but if she refused, she wouldn't be able to defeat them at all.

_We have to do this._

The girl nodded. _I know. You're ready? _

_Yes._

The black phoenix hurled her way towards the limp bird, but suddenly, it flew upwards, strands of wind curling around her shoulder.

And, in front of the whole astonished crowd, Aquilla changed.

In its place was a narwhal. It was grey in colour, and its blue eyes glared at Black Dranzer. Its horn was made of pure crystal.

"Harpona...let's do this. FINISH HER!"

"I knew it," said Ray.

The Bladebreakers turned toward him. "What?"

"Uh...nothing."

"How did she do that?" asked Tyson to Kenny

"I have no idea. I never really believed that there was a shapeshifter bit beast."

"You mean that's what Carolyn was using...a shapeshifter. But that's supposed to be really powerful."

"It is," said Lin. "It's one of the most powerful bit beasts out there." She lowered her voice so that Ray could hear her, and no one else. "You had better call Mariah," she said, "If the Guardians are back, she needs to be here."

Ray nodded. His hand instinctively went to his chest.

_NO! You know what trouble you just got us in? Now the whole world knows._

_If we lost, then there would be no world. Okay?_

_You could have..._

_What could I have done? Nothing. You can't help me here. I know what I'm doing._

Marina stood up. _Carolyn always knew what she was doing? No way. From your reputation, you've gotten us into everything that's ever happened. Every time one of your "unfoilable plans" backfire, we pay the price. We would not be here, battling, if we hadn't listened to your "master plan to save the world," Okay? It's not that we don't trust you, it's that we can't. _

_Tell me this later. I need to concentrate._

_And blow up the world while you're at it? I don't think so. Look, you told us to stay on this wretched earth after you told everyone you were leaving. And look what it's gotten us into? Huh? I'm proclaimed dead, I fell of a cliff. He survived a raging forest fire with little explanation why, you even lost Harpona once. DO YOU THINK THIS IS WORTH ALL THAT? TELL ME! TELL ME! DO YOU THINK WE'RE GOING TO LOOK UP TO YOU AS ALMIGHTY AND POWERFUL? AFTER ALL YOU'VE DONE TO HARM US?_

_Look, girl. Back in the old days, you were our leader. But not now. You have little right to be our leader. We wouldn't have gotten into so much trouble if you weren't trying to be noble, trying to save the world. Look, you can't say that you were trying to help. Maybe you were, but if you minded your own business like the rest of us then maybe things would have turned out a lot better. Look at Harpona! Just look at her! Look what BioVolt's done to her? You know they musn't get any of Harpona's secrets, but they are very close. Look what they've done, what you've done to the one you trust most in the world._

Carolyn ignored her.

"Harpona, finish this. Quickly."

The blade rammed its opponent, and, surprisingly easily, flicked it off the stadium.

She stared at Black Dranzer in puzzlement. _No way...that was way too easy._

_Shade, you still have the finals. You're not going to win that. See you tomorrow._

_You'll see..._

"That was a fluke, girl. You know it," Tomas was glaring at her.

"I know it, all right."

"Then you know you won't win tomorrow."

"That's what you think."

"You can't beat me and Black Dranzer."

"There has only been one bit beast who has ever been able to defeat Black Dranzer. And she will be in the stadium tomorrow."

"She will not be enough."

Carolyn's face was expressionless. "Believe what you want to," she said quietly. With her face to the ground, not looking the least bit victorious, she walked out of the stadium.

Ray was shocked. Up until now, he had regarded Eltila as a thing of legend, immortal and indestructible. He had regarded her as someone who was godly, perfect. Now, though...she looked completely human, she looked, for the first time, old.

And she looked like someone could come up to her and knock

Dinner was an unusually quiet affair for the Bladebreakers. Even Tyson had noticed the mellow mood, and was unable to wolf down food at his usual rate. Kenny was trying his best to find any information on Harpona that didn't involve legends. Hilary stared from one of them to another. Ray and Lin had their heads low, looking very disturbed, and Max kept shooting nervous glances in their direction. He knew this had something to do with these Mages. Harpona. He remembered that name, somewhere.

Ray twiddled his thumbs. At long last, he stood up and walked to another table, to another one of them. He had made up his mind.

"Hey Ozuma."

"Yeah?"

"This evening. You know where. We're going to find out what's going on."

The moon had disappeared. The night was cold and dark. Clouds covered the skies. But the eight people on the balcony didn't care.

"That was Harpona. It was, and I know it," said Michael

"Who cares, it's not like anything that ever comes out of your mouth is true," said Drolcyan lazily.

"It was Harpona. Drolcyan, behave yourself,"

"Behave? What does that mean?"

Lin sighed.

"I wish I had been there," said Mariah.

"You could stay here, and go there with me tomorrow," offered Ray

Lin turned scarlet. In the night, it didn't make much of a difference if she had turned purple with pink polka dots.

"That's not the point," said Johnny impatiently, "We need Eltila here."

"It's not like she's going to come whenever we want her to."

"But she's the Guardian of Air. This is her fight. This is hers and Kariey's and Yaleri's and Helenia's fight. We didn't want this. They did," said Ozuma.

Drolcyan made a face of mock annoyance. "Wow, you finally noticed... But let me tell you something, Eltila's an arrogant brat who..."

"Well, Drolcyan, are you sure you want to finish that sentence?"

Drolcyan turned, "Hi," he whimpered.

But as they all looked towards the source of the voice, they jumped. It wasn't Eltila. It wasn't Yaleri. It wasn't even Helenia or Kariey.

It was Mariam.

"Hi," she addressed the crowd.

They looked at her, open mouthed, and Ozuma asked, "What are you doing here?" quite rudely, in Ray's opinion.

"Yeah, what are you doing here?" repeated Johnny. This surprised Ray a bit less, since Johnny was known for his rudeness and big mouth, something that, he supposed, Robert wouldn't stand for.

Kane was the first one to piece everything together. "You're the traitor Eltila was talking about, aren't you?" he asked.

But to their surprise, Mariam shook her head. "I feel I owe you all an explanation."

"Yeah, you do," said Johnny. Drolcyan seemed strangely quiet.

As if in answer, Mariam held out her hand. The sky was dark, but there was just enough light from the city that seemed so far a way to illuminate a small object she held in her hand.

"Ray. RAY!"

Ray shook his head groggily. "What?" The world slowly came into view. Kenny was shaking him awake.

"I've been up all night, searching up what that shapeshifter bit beast is."

"Oh. What have you found?"

"Not much, but all the sites seem to say something about the only Shapeshifter every alive was Harpona, spirit of Air, and something about her belonging to the "Gods of Bit Beasts" or something."

"Why do I need to know this?" asked Ray. Lin had come into the room, and was doing her best to keep her mouth shut.

"Because they say that when these "Guardian" people left the earth, which they obviously haven't if these things are true, they left eight people to keep the earth running for them. They gave them stones like theirs which hold powers and stuff."

"And?" asked Ray. Then he noticed his stone was gone.

"And they're supposed to be all really powerful bladers."

"Yeah? And?"

"Don't tell me you know nothing about this, Ray."

"Why would I know anything, anyway?"

Kenny sighed. He withdrew a gem out of his pocket. It was pure black except for the gold framing it and the chain that hung from it.

"When I first took this, it was bright green. I guess it needs a person to keep it's colour."

Ray growled, but took it back. "What is it?"

"Ray, you know exactly what it is. At least I think you do. I had Dizzi look at it – she is a bit beast, in case you forgot."

"What did she say?"

"It's one of the gems. From when those "Guardians" left."

Ray pretended to look wide eyed. "Where'd you find it? I bet it's really valuable."

Kenny was going to answer, but a cold voice beat him to it.

"Of course it's valuable; you should know. As for where he found it? He found it around your neck."

Ray turned. His eyes narrowed. "What do you want anyway?"

"Nice way to treat me. Aren't you _happy_ to see me?"

"Hardly. How do you know about these gems? Huh? Last time I checked, Kai Hiwatari, you went, betrayed us to some lousy team that hates you..."

"How I know about these stones, Mage?" he cut in coldly. "If you haven't notice, Eltila's on my current team."

"That woman isn't Eltila. Eltila's a strong soul. Eltila's not devious...not like you."

"You'll see, but you will regret it, mark my words. Eltila? Strong? Never heard of such a thing."

He left.

Ray cursed under his breath. How did Kai know? He was told that Kai wasn't a Mage.

But after what happened with Mariam last night, anything could happen. The Guardians didn't lie, but they don't tell the truth either.

"So Ray?"

"Chief, leave me alone."

"You know something about that shapeshifter. I know it...and here," he handed back the stone. Ray took it in his hand. It sparked green again.

Kenny turned to leave.

"Chief?"

"Yes?"

"Next time, ask me before you take something of mine."

Breakfast was a quiet affair, yet again. Lin, who was usually bubbly and cheery, kept shooting unhelpful glances at him. It didn't help the fact that Mariah had come overnight, and he had waved off the question of how she got here off. It seemed Lin's anger with Mariah had quite evaporated, given the conditions. They both were in the room the time Kai walked in, and both of them were frightened out of their guts. The answer was quite simple. Kai knew about the stones. He wasn't a Mage. Guardian's aren't the least bit like him. Ray knew that Eltila, for one, prized loyalty over all the other values combined. Kai had to be a Demon.

That was uncomforting for Ray. Kai had trained with him...he had trained him. He knew everything he could about his strategies. If he had to fight Kai, he would surely lose. No one knew how much he had improved, but seeing him battle Max, it seemed he improved a lot.

Finally, when Tyson, who noticed nothing wrong and shoved food down his face all the same, had finished, Kenny asked Ray, "So are you going to tell us more about those weird bit beasts?"

The attention of the whole table tuned up. Evidently, Kenny had told Tyson and Max about it, too. Ray breathed, noticing the attention he was receiving, and said finally, "No, I'm not going to tell you."

The reaction was immediate. "Why?" asked Hilary, "Why won't you tell us. We just want to help."

"We're your friends, Ray. We want to help you. You seemed depressed over the past few weeks. I'm sure it has something to do with this." Said Kenny

"Bud, c'mon. You're starting to totally act like Kai."

Tyson had crossed the line. Ray's anger had been building up over the past week, and it was very hard to restrain it. He raised his voice, which was quavering dangerously. "Don't you ever say I'm like that..." but he couldn't find the precise insult for what he felt about Kai at this moment. "I'm not like him. I'm not a traitor, like he is."

Max frowned. "He's not a traitor. He's been there for us when we really needed him. Sure, he's rude and grumpy, but he always comes round. He knows we're his friends, and I think, deep down, he's our friend too. He just doesn't like to _parade_ it out."

"Don't talk about things you don't understand," Ray snapped.

The rest of them fell silent, surprised at this change of character.

"Look, I'm tired."

"That's just because you've been up all last night."

"I don't want to talk about this."

"We want to help you."

"I need some alone time."

"You do sound like Kai."

Ray ignored the last comment and left the table. How many questionings would he have to tolerate? For how long will he have to deceive his best friends? Eltila always told him...he stamped out the thought. All his respect for Eltila had long gone. They needed her. All of them needed her at this moment. Why was she still avoiding them, then?

So great was his frustration that, when he arrived back in the room, he screamed and threw himself onto the bed.

There was a knock on the door, causing Ray to scream about a dozen swear words and how people will never leave him alone.

The doorknob turned and Ray angrily faced the person who had just walked in. "Oh," he said, turning slightly pink.

UniGirl: How was it? I hope it was okay. I had major writer's block somewhere in the middle. There was a Grev preview yesterday, made me very happy. It was episode...four, I think. The one where Ray meets up with his sensei that acts, in my opinion, a lot like Tyson's grandpa. The only drawback was that Hitoshi said really cheesy lines an Kai only got one line in it, but it was a good one. I wish it would hurry up and show episode 48. But then again, I dread what Nelvana will do to it.

Eleven reviews! Thanks a million guys! [hands out Kai plushies]

Dranzen: The Bladebreakers split apart. Ray went to the White Tigers, Max to the All Starz, and Kai back to the Demolition Boys. (Blitzkrieg boys in Grev, but you know what I mean, Tala and those guys.) Tyson was stuck with Daichi and Kenny. (he wins, obviously) Dranzer kinda...I think...disappears for a few episodes. There was the longest time when the whole fandom thought Dranzer disappears forever, but Rubellite told me that he appears in the last episode, after Tyson defeats Brooklyn. The third series goes until the end of the championships, and then Beyblade [sob] ends. YTV never showed the preview on the thirtieth, annoyed me greatly. Apparently there had been a mistake. I like Brooklyn. I kinda like Garland, I don't think I like Moses and MingMing though. Hitoshi does rock.

Rock: Thanks for the info. Justice 5? What kind of name is that?

Vampyre Neko: This isn't called soon. I think I blushed purple when the extremely nice guy mentioned above told me he liked my fic the best... You do? [blushes purple again]

Nessi: I think it cleared up in this chapter. Thanks! I don't think I updated soon.

Demon's-gurl: Thanks. What happens? I think you'll just have to read...

Britt: Thanks for the compliment. I'm evil and nice? The irony is killing me.

Swithblade Silver---SD SilverDragon: What happened to all those nice and short names? Just kidding. You're not confused? Oh no...I meant for you to be confused for one more chapter...I think next chapter a lot's gonna clear up. I think I'm going to write five or six more chapters. Oh, there is a lot revealed, but there are some more mysteries. You are really good at predicting what other people are going to do. But the sequel will be focused on a different point. There will be a tournament, but it won't be focused on winning the tournament...oops...I think I'm giving a little too much here.

TNTiggris: Is Wolf's Rain really good? I saw some pictures of it and it's pretty intriguing. Tala's real nickname is "Night" I thought of "wolf" first but then I realized he doesn't have a wolf bit beast any more.

Jule: Thanks a lot. Wow, and we're jealous because UK gets Grev...man, people never get enough, don't they. I never liked Vforce a lot, mind you.

Phoenix the 1st: Oh, it's just good to have you back. Don't worry, I feel your pain. I'm sure it wasn't crap. I mean, Reiven said that her fic wasn't _that_ good on the forum and...look what happened to it.

Puppalupp2008: I like your name...I started favouring long chapters when I realized how annoying short chapters were. The only drawback is I don't update as often. The whole point of the first three quarters of this fic was for you to get confused, so it's perfectly normal. I confused myself too.


	27. The Faces of Light and Darkness

UniGirl: I can't believe it's already been three months since my last update! I guess you were all wondering where I was. Sorry for being so late…Schoolwork, writer's block, viruses, Ty Kamara (I'm not allowed now. ;; I guess it's the better for you, since then I don't have other occupations), sheer laziness and obsession, (Did I tell you I have a new obsession? Gundam SEED. Athrun is so cool…so I spent a lot of time looking up pictures and spoilers) got the better of me. But anyway…I think you all want the update.

Oh, I'd like to take this time to thank **Nessi** who reminded me many times this fic existed, in one way or another. (Oh, and anyway, I did plan on Tala/Marina in the beginning, I was looking at my plan, so that's where I think you picked it up. Thankfully, it's not the case now.) Thank you so much for your continuous help and support!

Chapter…There'll be a lot of Carolyn's past revealed here. Unfortunately, whatever is up with Mariam will not be until later. The pasts of Tomas and Marina will be revealed in this fic, particularly Marina, whom I made up. I'm planning on revealing Britt's either in the very end or in the sequel. The latter is 99.99 going to happen.

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There was a knock on the door, causing Ray to scream about a dozen swear words and how people will never leave him alone.

The doorknob turned and Ray angrily faced the person who had just walked in. "Oh," he said, turning slightly pink.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The Faces of Light and Darkness

"Hi Lin, Mariah…"

"Ray, I didn't know you knew how to swear," said Mariah accusingly.

"He picked it up from Kai," said Lin

Ray sighed, frustrated. "Look, I don't want to listen to you two babble. If you have a point, get to it."

"Ray, what's with you lately?"

"You've been avoiding us."

"We're on your side, if you're wondering."

"It's not your fault."

"Don't act like it is."

Ray sighed. "Look, you've told me this before; I don't have time for this again."

"Where are you going?" asked Mariah as Ray stood up.

"Away from you," he glared at the two girls sitting on the bed and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut.

Lin looked at Mariah. "What was that about?"

Mariah sighed, "I think he just wants to be alone. He's got a lot to think over, added to the fact that Yaleri will be furious once he finds out that his…you know, got in the hands of someone else. He'll probably know already, he probably knows when the light goes out."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ray stared at his jewel. It was bright green already, though not the same furious olive tinge that it had been before. What would Yaleri do?

He chose this path. He could have just refused it. But he chose it, and in doing so, the responsibility of keeping it safe.

And now, Kenny knew. It could mean two things – that he had started the end of the Guardians' hiding, or that he had started the end of the Guardians' lives.

Both would mean that the world would know of the Mages' existence, after centuries of living in secret, and both would mean that, at long last, the Guardians would reveal themselves.

Only one would mean that they'd destroy the Demons…and the other would mean the Demons destroyed them.

In a way, the Guardians had already revealed their existence. At least, Eltila had. For he, Ray, knew the secret of that bit beast. That was Harpona. Harpona had no form. She was a shapeshifter, and that was what differentiated her from all the others. Even though most of the audience at that time did not know what that meant, he was pretty sure the people who shouldn't know, did.

Maybe the time they were waiting for had at last arrived. Maybe the Guardians were back.

_But Kai, Tala…_Ray thought, _Why? What did they know? But then, Mariam had been… _Even now, it was very hard to believe. All he could do was to wait for the battle this afternoon. If what he had been told was true, then things would unfold from there.

Ray was dimly aware that he was in a long, dark corridor. It was totally unfamiliar. Suddenly, he heard faint footsteps. Whirling around, he hastily put the green jewel back into his pocket.

"You really don't have to do that, Ray..._Quaiyu_" (Kway-you)

Ray jumped.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Hey, what's up with Ray?" asked Tyson as Lin and Mariah entered again.

Mariah shook her head.

"Did it have something to do with what I showed him this morning?" asked Kenny

"I think so," said Lin.

"Hey, do you two know something about this?" asked Hilary accusingly, "Have you been hiding it from us all along?"

The two girls looked at each other. Lin was a Mage of Eltila's. She couldn't lie or else endure her unending wrath. Mariah had long since wanted the rest of them to know what was up with Ray, but numbly shook her head.

Kenny sighed. "If you do…We won't tell anyone.

Max stayed silent. He knew what was wrong with Ray. But he had Ray to consider. If Ray didn't tell them, no one else deserved to.

Mariah shook her head again. "It's okay."

Kenny looked doubtful, but didn't say anything.

Just then, the door opened and Carolyn stepped in. The rest of them whirled around. If a stranger just came in, they wouldn't have guessed that this girl was the same girl who had battled on the Celestials. Her pure white hair swept to a side as she closed the door behind her. The rest of them stared until she said, "Hi."

Max glared. "What now?"

"I was looking for your captain."

"You mean Ray," Tyson replied. "He does have a name."

Carolyn nodded.

"What do you want with him?" asked Max.

"That would be none of your business."

"How's your buddy Kai doing?" piped up Tyson, ready to hit Carolyn

"Tyson!" cried Kenny, pulling him down. "You know that she can really hurt you if she tried."

"WHO CARES?" demanded Tyson

"You will. As for your earlier question, he's doing very well. At least he gets enough to eat."

"Why you…"

"Now, since Ray's not here, I guess I should back out," said Carolyn as she headed for the door.

A blade flew by her right ear and out the open door.

Carolyn turned to face Tyson. "Excuse me, but was that aimed at me?" then she turned and walked out of the room, careful to step on Dragoon as she walked out.

Tyson clenched his fists. "I hate her…" he said, "I hate her almost as much as I hate Kai…"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The crowd cheered as Brad Best and AJ Topper introduced the teams. Four players stood on each side of a gigantic bowl, ready to launch.

Boris walked to the stadium. "Before we start, I'd like this to be a fair match."

Tyson coughed.

Mariah was practically hanging onto her seat with excitement. Ray, on the other hand, looked worried.

Tala and Marina's eyes widened as their bit beasts returned to them.

Carolyn narrowed her eyes. _This is some sort of trick, Boris. We know…_

The eight players launched. Carolyn and Kai went to one side of the dish, while Tala and Marina flew to the other.

_Vipe, show me what you got. _

_Yeah, Shade…_

Carolyn didn't bother to tell him off. She looked straight at Tomas. "You won't be getting off easily," she said

"What of it?" he shot back, "You'll be worse than dead by the time I'm done with you, excuse for a human."

Carolyn let the insult slide off her back. Meanwhile, Spencer and Kai were engaged in a glaring contest, their blades ramming against each other.

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"Traitor…" Bryan muttered. The redhead across from him was panting. "This is what a traitor gets…what a traitor deserves…" he screamed. "FALBORG!"

Tala looked up. There was to be no bit beasts, if he could help it. The match had only started, and already, Falborg had been summoned. He wasn't going to risk losing Draco in the first match, not if he could help it. Keeping close to Marina, he chanced a look at how the others were doing. One glance told him it did not look good. The blades had already been separated, and they weren't working together.

_She didn't listen. I told her to fight with Marina. But no. _She had insisted on Tala and Marina taking one side of the dish.

The two of them were probably in a mental argument already.

"Ice princess," Ian sneered.

"Princess? Why, thank you," Marina responded.

"We miss you, you know. You could come back…"

"In your dreams," was the blunt reply.

"What? In love with Tala now?"

Marina withdrew, shocked at this new insult.

"He's my team mate."

"We know. But we also know how much time you spend with him."

Marina shook her head. Ian had never gotten to her nerves, and she wasn't about to let him start. "Esbyiar, do what you need to. And just finish him," she said exasperated.

Ian's eyes widened in mock surprise. "What? No trying? No effort? WYBORG ATTACK!"

Marina and Tala looked at each other. Two bit beasts. This was going to be ugly.

_I…stinking…wish I could do something._ Marina thought

_Truth is, you can't. Play it safe or regret it later, _was the blunt response.

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Tomas rammed at Carolyn's blade. She shifted uncomfortably. She couldn't let them see Harpona again unless it was absolutely necessary. At this moment, all she could do was to take as much of these blows as possible. All she could do was to wait until Tomas ran out of steam.

A blue streak caught her eye. Kai.

_Kai, I need your help here._

_The great Shadow Sabre needs my help?_

_You were always better than me. Admit it. Now help me._

Kai gritted his teeth. _If I wasn't busy, I might consider it._

_GET SERIOUS_

_Getting mad will do you no good. _A new, oily, feminine voice came in.

_SHUT UP_ Carolyn panted heavily. She was loosing control. She couldn't go on like this. She just couldn't. "I can't see myself lasting another thirty seconds at this rate," she muttered, "I knew I should have trained for something like this." _KAI HIWATARI!_

_What now? I'm busy, if you haven't noticed._

_Dranzer. I need her here. Harpona can't defeat…_

_Dranzer can't either. I can't call her out of her bit chip, remember?_

_Curses._

Kai watched Carolyn out of the corner of his eye. She wasn't faring well. If it was another situation, and she was another person, he wouldn't have minded. His childhood rival was getting beaten up. But here, now, they were facing a common enemy. He turned his attention back on his own blade to find that Spencer was intently staring at him.

"This is getting easy, Kai."

He made no reply, but increased the rotation of his blade. Dranzer started pushing Seaborg backwards towards his edge of the dish.

"Is that the best you can do?" Spencer tried another technique of intimidation.

Suddenly, Seaborg stopped about three quarters of the way to the dish. No matter how hard Dranzer pushed, it wouldn't budge.

"What?" Kai couldn't keep him self from asking, in disbelief.

"Surprised? Thought so." Spencer chuckled. "You're going down. And I mean it. SEABORG ATTACK!" The ancient whale appeared, surrounding himself with water and plunging at Dranzer.

"DRANZER FIRE – …" he caught himself in time. "HOLD ON THERE!" he screamed.

This time, there were no remarks from his teammates. They were too caught up in their own battles.

"HARPONA RAPID SPIN!" he heard Carolyn scream as invisible strands of wind entwined themselves around the base of her blade. Forcefully, it got away from Black Dranzer, into the path of Spencer's Seaborg.

"What?" he asked in disbelief

"Kai, stay behind me."

The blue haired boy nodded, but was hit by a black blade. He glared at the silver teen, who had a smirk on his face. "That's for slacking."

"You twerp…" Dranzer rammed the black blade three times, and then retreated.

"You know that Black Dranzer was made from your bit beast. There's no way she can lose."

"Dranzer was the original."

"And _Black_ Dranzer is new and improved."

"No one improves on Dranzer. You got that? NO ONE! ATTACK!"

"BLACK DRANZER ATTACK!"

And the two powers rammed at each other in blazing balls of red light. Kai bit his lip. He wasn't going to let Dranzer show herself, no matter what it took. But he was going to win.

An explosion. Then another.

Carolyn struggled to stay on her feet, noticing that all the other players were doing the same. She wouldn't be able to keep that wall of wind up for long before her bit beast appeared in the shape of a white hawk. That was Aquilla's move. But Aquilla had died. She had died saving the friend that didn't care about her.

::::::::::Flashback::::::::::

Carolyn stood outside the iron gates of the Balkov Abbey. She held a white blade in her hand. The bit chip inside it was a blank one.

Her pocket grew warm.

_Carolyn, go in. _

_Aquilla, you know what will happen if – when I manage to find Harpona._

_I know._

_It'll be like the old days. She can do everything you can._

_I know._ The bitterness in her voice was, though suppressed, hard to miss.

_I just want to thank you. I could only show loyalty to Harpona… _

_You thought about her every day. I know. I know you can't love me the way you do Harpona, because I am BioVolt's creation. I want you to be happy, Carolyn. And you can't be happy without your bit beast._

_But you betrayed them to help me. You betrayed those who actually respect you, and showed loyalty to one who never did._

_Carolyn, just hurry up and go in._

_Aquilla…thanks for everything. _

:::::::::::::::End Flashback::::::::::::::::

She had gone in. She had gone in to make her life whole again. And she had taken Harpona back. She had put her onto her blade before the monitors had set off the alarm.

She had panicked slightly. She could still run…maybe…

:::::::::::::::Flashback::::::::::::

A door opened. Men came in, holding guns.

Carolyn held her launcher to eye level.

"Who's there?" one asked.

Another door opened, this time, Boris had walked in, first surveying the smashed video cameras and locks, then at her.

"Carolyn Loana. The Shadow Sabre. Nice to meet you again."

Carolyn glared. "You don't want me to hurt you, Boris."

"Really? What might you be doing here?"

"Claiming what belongs to me."

Boris didn't even bother to glance at the tank where Harpona had been. He knew. "Injure her. Don't kill her. Bring her to me," he told his men, then exited.

Carolyn ran. A knife went by her right cheek. She smiled. At least she didn't have to dodge the inhuman speed of bullets, which they couldn't use, for fear of killing her. She gripped her ripcord. "LET IT RIP!" She ran, trying to keep eye contact. For not using Harpona for such a long time, it wasn't as smooth as she had imagined it. Her blade deflected a few slashes, and she was able to dodge punches and kicks, but she also set of a few booby traps, and blades lashed at her.

"HARPONA!" she screamed for her companion. She then realized her blade had already gone out of sight.

A glass shard hit her on the shoulder. Suddenly, her pocket went warm.

_Carolyn, run. I'll take care of it._

_Aquilla…I can't. Harpona's in there somewhere._

_So you plan to die here with your bit beast?_

_No, but…_

_RUN!_

Even if she had tried to stay, she wouldn't have been able to. A strong barrier of wind blocked her off, and she looked back to see the hawk flying against the people, smashing objects and cases.

Carolyn ran. She ran down the familiar corridors, trying not to remember the horrifying things contained within the place. When she finally looked back, before she took at turn, she saw someone plunge a silver blade into Aquilla's chest.

_Bit beasts don't die…do they? _ She asked herself. _No…not in the way humans do, at least…but…_

::::::::::::::::End Flashback::::::::

She had run for her life until she was outside the abbey, looking once again at the iron gate that barred her from her bit beast. That attempt was all in vain…and she had lost Aquilla, too.

:::::::::::Flashback::::::::::::

Sitting down on a rock nearby, she drew her knees up and rested her head in them. She could already feel the hole where Aquilla once been. She had been told that humans never appreciated what they had until it was taken away. She knew that now. All her life, Aquilla had been a nuisance. She didn't like restraining Harpona to the form of a hawk, even if she did grow to like it. She had wished that Aquilla never existed. And now, all she wanted was for her to come back.

An awkward breeze passed overhead, and Carolyn lifted her head. She saw something glinting in the snow. Picking it up, she examined it in disbelief. It was her bit chip. She squeezed it in her hand.

Another awkward breeze made her look up. She saw a beautiful, yet sad, glittering bird in the sky. Her black tipped wings were torn, her breast feathers were faint. Carolyn could almost see through the beast as it opened its eyelids and looked at her longingly with dull amber eyes.

She blinked, and it was gone. All that remained was tiny sparkles, hanging in the air.

So that was how a bit beast died.

And Carolyn threw herself onto the snow and did something she had not done for a long time. She cried her eyes out.

The bit chip in her hand glowed and a ball of light appeared out of it. It took the shape of a white haired woman with a long gown. Her skin was pale and her hair was silky. The Guardian of Air knelt down beside the crying girl and embraced her like a mother.

:::::::::::End flashback::::::::::

Carolyn had to hold back tears. "THIS IS FOR AQUILLA, YOU JERKS! ATTACK!"

The wall of wind became stronger. She called on the technique that she had trained for years on, the technique that she had mastered so completely that she didn't require a bit beast. The technique that the whole team shared.

The four blades gathered into one spot and started rotating around each other, red, white, brown and blue strands intertwined. "ATTACK!" they screamed in unison.

Crashes were heard from above. Loud, destructive crashes that the Celestials did not hear. The Demolition Boys, on the other hand, did.

Bryan looked to his teammates, and they all called their blades to withdraw.

"What?" The winds died down from the other blades, and so did the determination in their eyes.

"We forfeit," Tomas said, smirking.

Another crash shook the stadium. Then debris started falling in. A ladder hung from the hole in the ceiling, suspended by a helicopter. Spencer hopped on, followed by Tomas, then Ian, then Bryan.

"Have fun, guys," said Ian as they were lifted out of the stadium – and Danger's way.

Boris had disappeared.

The Celestials called their blades to their hands. Kai's free left hand was instinctively rubbing the outside of his boot.

There was a deafening "Boom" sound.

A voice came from one of the exits. "They've set fire all around the dome. We're trapped in!"

The four bladers looked at each other, puzzlement replaced by determination.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ray stood up. "You creeps! You planned this all along!" he screamed, angrily.

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UniGirl: How's that? Cliffy again. The Aquilla part was cheesy. I need to go to bed now, I'm very, very sleepy. I know it wasn't my best writing. The Demolition Boys are now the Blitzkrieg boys in the anime, but I'm not changing the name because of Nelvana. Sorry.

Also, I will put this up tomorrow or the day after. Because "just happens" to be doing upgrades right now.

Please Review. Make my day.

Vampyre Neko: This time it's even worse. So no, not soon. Let's see…two and a half months? I promise it'll be sooner.

Spyrit Phoenyx: There will be a sequel. You love it? :hug: You do not know how that makes me feel, especially since I'm a big fan of your writing. I didn't update sooner. In fact, I updated a lot later. No, I do feel ashamed of myself.

Dranzen: I'm not going to talk about the Demon part. YTV has aired half of Grev already. I don't like Lee and Michael's personality changes. Lee and Mariah are siblings, yes. They told that in the Manga. That's one of the reasons why I oppose Lee X Mariah. Incestness…

Phoenix the 1st: You know, I'm glad you review. I love reading your comments, it's very inspiring. Plot…I guess so. More answers, at least. Reiven's ended…I look forward to the new one. She's a really funny person, especially when she gets annoyed. Sarcasticness… no, I had the pleasure of talking to her…on a few occasions. She's really nice except when you spell her name wrong.

Nessi: I took longer this time. I was writing this chapter with our conversation in the All the People (Or was it another) thread. So yes, if it weren't for you, this wouldn't be up at all. Ian disappears. No idea. Ask Rubellite. Oh, do you want anything specific for Tomas' background? Or else it's all made my me…

TNTiggris: The character designs for Vforce…I didn't like. I hate MingMing's voice. I want to see Wolf's Rain…but after I see Gundam SEED and Witch Hunter Robin. And I want to finish KiddyGrade.

Britt: Vacation? Oh, that. I forgot. Too long. I should update more often, ne? Mariam? Answers later…

Kayla-m.f : Thanks. I'm glad you like it.


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